


Book of Scythe (Rough Draft)

by lain105



Series: Devil's Rondo [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkward Romance, Blood and Violence, F/F, F/M, M/M, Magic, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Supernatural Elements, Urban Fantasy, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:01:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 60,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23118877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lain105/pseuds/lain105
Summary: Mike is a just a normal guy... At least until he loses his job, his apartment, his girlfriend, and ends up working for Hecate, the middle princess of hell! And it turns out he may be the only one who can save her life.
Series: Devil's Rondo [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667223
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ~~Hi! This is a work in progress story and you are reading the (very!) rough draft! Expect continuity errors, misspelled words, and grammatical nonsense. <3 ~~

  


***

Hades gazed at his daughter’s back as she prepared to cross through the gate to the human world. Mormo, his brother’s oldest son and a trusted friend, stepped up beside him. 

Reading into the king’s pensive stance and clenched fists, he said, “I will do everything in my power to ensure she finds her bonding partner.”

“I know. _You_ are not who worries me.” Hades pinched the bridge of his nose. “The Oracle assured me her bond mate is human. Hecate will not take that well.”

“Which is why we have chosen not to tell her,” Mormo reminded him. “For now, the princess believes her bond mate is simply an errant devil who never responded to your summons. Your plan to appoint her to a position in Solstice Digital is a good one. It will help force her to adjust.”

Hades chuckled. “Of course it was a good idea; it was mine, wasn’t it?”

Mormo just rolled his eyes. The king sobered again. 

“If she does not find her bonding partner in six months, I will grant her wish.”

“The front lines….” Mormo trailed off. The princess had spent a decade looking for her bond mate—the cure to her cursed blood. Eventually, she’d admitted defeat and all but begged her father for permission to spend her last years of sanity hunting Entropy’s troops alone. 

“She has the right to die as she chooses.” Hades sighed. “I regret forcing her into this.”

“Nonsense,” Mormo scoffed. He was one of the few devils who could speak freely with the king of the underworld, though he rarely exercised that privilege. “Her bias against humans prevents her from accepting a possible solution. The only thing you are forcing her to do is not throw her life away when there is still hope.”

At that moment, Hecate turned to face her father and cousin. The wind that screamed over the Bifrost for eternity whipped her onyx hair into a shimmering hurricane. Her silver eyes narrowed and her lips thinned. _Peeved_ was one of her default expressions, and she wore it now. Persephone, her mother, stared into the distance with hooded eyes. She believed her daughter was correct and this trip was hopeless, but she trusted her husband and the Oracle more than her own pessimism. 

“Stop gossiping like old hens,” Hecate barked over the whistling gale. “The day grows short and I’m keen to get this doomed expedition started. The sooner we begin, the sooner it can end.” 

Hades’ shoulders drooped. Hecate made her opinion of his plan known at every turn. She expected to fail. Perhaps not even her family and friends could save her from her own stubbornness. 

“Do not give up hope yet, my King,” Mormo murmured. “The Oracle is seldom wrong. I believe we must trust fate just this once.”


	2. Chapter 2

  


***

Hecate closed her eyes, counted to ten, and asked the River Styx for patience. 

It did not work. 

The tinny voice of a woman sounded from the phone, repeating the same message for the twenty seventh time. 

“I do believe Lady Sarah has no intention of answering tonight.” Mormo leaned over her bony shoulder to stare into the dark screen with rows of vivid white numbers. 

“Yes, cousin, I can see that,” Hecate snapped.

Thoth interrupted them. She tossed her plum colored hair, sending her razor straight locks swinging. “Stop acting like a stubborn fool, Hecate. I’m hungry.”

Hecate’s eyes snapped open and she gripped the phone. A tiny _pop_ reverberated through the alcove they stood in as the front glass shattered. “Say that again, and I’ll tear your head off and feed it to a hell hound.”

“Lucky for her there aren’t any hell hounds around.” Coyote’s golden eyes sparkled as he goaded the princess. If anyone could bait her and win, it was those two. 

Still, Mormo didn’t feel like testing her tolerance right now. He threw Thoth a pleading look.

“Princess,” he cleared his throat, “I believe we can use one of these phones to procure a meal. Please, take mine until we can acquire a replacement.” Mormo held up his device.

She eyed it with suspicion, then took it, trading him for the damaged one. Storm cloud eyes squinted at the pavement as she assessed his suggestion. 

“Do it,” she ordered, “I demand red meat.” And that was all the princess had to say on the subject before shoving her new phone into the small pocket of her black leather pants.

Young Metztli grinned and pulled out her own phone. “Frey showed me this before we left. Here.” Metztli tapped on a colorful square. All at once the picture changed to what even Mormo could recognize as a map. “You wanted red meat, right princess?”

Hecate grunted her affirmation. Metztli used her finger to tap out the phrase “red meat” on the minuscule phone’s equally minuscule keyboard. The devils gathered around and watched in fascination as the map shifted and zoomed in, settling on a red teardrop icon. 

“That is not a dining hall or market.” Coyote snorted and suppressed a giggle. 

“What’s an ‘advertising agency?’” Metztli asked. 

“Not a place to eat,” Thoth clarified, voice laced with sarcasm. 

“Enough!” The corners of the princess’ mouth twitched. She stepped out of the alcove that had served as their exit point from the Bifrost. “We shall walk until we find a place to dine.” The other devils followed.

A quarter mile later, Hecate turned onto another, larger street, cramped with gaudy buildings filled with noise and lights. 

“I smell meat!” Coyote yipped. Lizi giggled. 

Mormo stole a glance at his princess, hoping she would follow Coyote’s lead. She caught him looking and jerked her chin towards the youngster. 

“Show us,” she ordered. 

Coyote grinned, his two sharp canines glinting in the unnatural light from the illuminated signs. He turned into the doorway of the nearest building. 

“Pfft,” Hecate mumbled. “Hardly impressive to track a meal mere feet from your nose.”

Coyote just shrugged and huffed a melodramatic sigh, all but skipping towards the entrance. That is, until a tall, broad-chested man with a shaved head and a bright t-shirt brought his arm down in a chopping motion, stopping Coyote in his tracks. 

“Hold on, kid. I need some ID,” his voice sounded rough and bored. 

Mormo dropped his head into his waiting palms. Oh, dear. The princess didn’t need much to go off at this point. She’d never handled hunger and confusion well. All warriors of hell were hot-headed but Hecate outdid them all, even among the cursed bloods.

Sure enough, Hecate tensed her left arm, her human nails morphing into curved, black claws. Mormo hissed in her ear, “princess, your father told us to minimize casualties.”

“He hit Coyote!” She hissed back. 

Mormo considered it and decided the man had done no such thing, but mentioning that would only stoke the fires. Just when he was analyzing the chances of them getting out of this without having to call a clean up crew, an unfamiliar voice broke through the tension. 

“Hey, Ben, what’s up?”

Mormo examined the newcomer. The human was shorter than Hecate by several inches. Bright blonde hair stuck out in every angle, likely from a long night of festivities.

The princess spun around to face the intruder, ready to disembowel him with her bare hands. Then she relaxed her stance. Something about the man’s smiling blue eyes seemed to soothe her instantly. Mormo’s heart stopped. He exchanged glances with Thoth, the only other who knew the truth of their expedition. She gave him an imperceptible nod. This human male was the answer. Suddenly, the stakes of this conversation skyrocketed. They could save their beloved princess with this human’s help. 

Assuming she didn’t kill him for interrupting first.

“Oh, hey Mike,” their unwanted gatekeeper replied, “Nothing much. This brat wants into the bar, which I can’t do without ID. She’s acting like I hit him but all I did was keep his skinny ass on the right side of the door.” 

Mike took in the devils in front of them. Mormo held his breath. So much rode on this man’s first impression of them. Were their human disguises convincing? Had he noticed Hecate’s claws? After a few moments, Mike smiled and turned to Coyote.

“Uh, you looking to drink or…?” He left the question open. 

The princess took hold of the conversation, stepping in front of the young pup, shielding him from the outsiders. “We seek a meal.” 

Mike’s eyes widened and he took a step back. Mormo groaned under his breath. Hecate had growled her response like a feral hell hound. Mormo knew humans didn’t wander around growling, no matter how hungry. The devil woman frightened almost everyone she met. 

His stomach clenched. If this scared Mike off, the chances of convincing him to bond with her was nil. However, after a moment of shock, Mike relaxed again and stood his ground, as if Hecate was simply grumpy, not murderous. Even the implacable Thoth raised her brow at the human’s reaction.

“Well, if you just want dinner, you don’t need a bar. What’s your budget?” As he spoke, he took charge of the interaction, shifting between the devils and Ben, giving the other human space to step back into the recesses of the building’s entryway.

Hecate’s quick strides ate up the space he’d put between them. She leaned over him and met his eyes. “What does that mean?”

Behind him, Ben snorted. “They’re fucking crazy, man. Just leave ‘em.”

“Say that again, fool!” Hecate growled lower than before and her body arched towards Ben. A truly terrible sign. 

Mormo doubted the brusque man knew how close he was to death. The long-suffering princess’ cousin rubbed his temples. By now, a crowd of a dozen people had surrounded them. 

“It’s fine! No worries, Ben,” Mike said breathlessly, waving his hands in a placating motion. “Budget. As in, how much money you’ve got to spend.”

Hecate switched her attention back to Mike and one dark, thin eyebrow curved upward. Again, Mormo noted Mike’s impressive ability to redirect the princess. “The idea of exchanging currency for food is a novel one indeed. We have—” then she paused and cast Mormo a curious glance. “Mormo, how much do we have?”

“Mormo?” Mike’s eyes widened as he looked at the older devil. 

Mormo rubbed his temples until he saw stars. “Helen,” he bit out her cover name, “unfortunately Lady Sarah has all our personal documents. Including any money.”

“Who’s Sarah?” Mike ventured, trying to sound friendly though Mormo suspected he was hoping for an out. Someone else to contact and hand these troublesome strangers off to. 

“Our liasen,” Hecate snapped, “who is not responding to our summons. We are unable to go to our new home, acquire meals, and even enter some buildings, it seems!” She threw Ben a dirty look. He matched her, though she’d already shifted her focus back to Mike. 

“Ooh, I get it,” Mike’s eyes brightened. “You guys are from another country. Well, it sucks she’s not around.” 

“If she is unharmed, she will not remain so once she has answered to me.” Hecate said in her signature haughty tones.

“Helen,” Mormo grumped. “You’re scaring him.” He gestured to Mike, who was trying to back up again, only to find himself against a beaten railing that separated them from gawking drinkers. He took a bit longer to calm down this time.

“Tch,” she mumbled but backed away by half a step. 

Mormo decided now was the time to take over. Hecate’s short attention span had dwindled to almost nothing, giving him an opening. “Mike, was it?” He stepped forward, trying to exude calm maturity. “My name is Miles and I’m Helen’s cousin. We are, as you say, from another country and at a total loss without our guide. The language is all we know.” He plastered on what he hoped was a fatherly smile. “I hope she communicates with us soon, but in the mean time our group has grown quite peckish.” He bowed slightly. 

Mike took the conversation and ran with it. He even mimicked Mormo’s little bow. “Well, I can’t do anything about most of that but… I can buy you something to eat. How does that sound?”

Mormo glanced at Hecate. She just shrugged and he took that as permission to proceed. “We would reward you handsomely for your aid, Mike.” 

Mike shook his head. “It’s not a big deal, just dinner. Here, there’s a food truck a few bars down. We can get some burritos for you guys.” He started walking. 

Mormo didn’t understand half of the human’s words, but Hecate was already following him.

Mike came to a stop in front of a large vehicle with a rectangular opening cut in one side. Based on their preparation for this task, the devils knew what cars, trucks, and busses looked like. It looked like a bus, but instead of seats inside, a small kitchen sizzled and popped as a single human tended to the stove while conversing with Mike. Mormo came up just as he finished speaking. 

“Five cheese and bean supremes, coming right up.”

“Thanks, man. How much do I owe you?” Mike dug into his trouser pockets, presumably looking for currency. 

“Eh, don’t worry about it. These folks seem a little lost. The best I can do for a stranger in a strange land.” The cook quirked his full lips at Mormo, skin covered in a sheen of sweat. 

“Thank you very much, good sir.” Mormo bowed. The human just flicked his fingers to his temple and turned back to the stove. 

Pleasantries dispensed, Mormo turned his attention back to his cousin and the rest of the devils. Thoth was staring daggers at a group of young women wobbling by as they flashed her bedroom eyes. Metztli kept turning in slow circles, taking in the sparkling human world, mouth agape. Coyote, not to be ignored, flashed Thoth’s unwanted admirers his own sultry gaze. They giggled and shuffled closer, until Hecate stepped in front of them and gave them her best “princess of hell” glare. The three pulled a face and backed away. Coyote harrumphed under his breath but didn’t protest. Hecate had no time for one of Coyote’s liaisons, not until they had a safe place to call home. 

“First one’s up!” The cook called out. He waved a silver tube around until Mormo came up to the truck and took it. It was hot to the touch and smelled of cheese and frying oil.

“Thank you.” Mormo gazed balefully at the strange item in his hands. The silver material reminded him of metal. There must be a trick to eating it. Hecate impatiently snatched the food from Mormo and brought it to her lips, ready to bite.

“Whoa, whoa, stop!” Mike yelped and jumped closer, waving his arms in panic. The human’s reckless action took several decades off of Mormo’s life. Rather than attack, Hecate simply stopped, her mouth still open, and watched him curiously. 

“Uh, that’s not how you eat a burrito. Can I show you?” Mike held out his hand. Hecate surrendered her “burrito” as if sharing with others was second nature. If nothing else had convinced him, this did. Mike was her bonding partner and they must be joined as soon as possible. All the devils gathered around and watched intently as Mike demonstrated how to tear the flimsy metal to reveal a steaming bread of some kind. He handed it back. 

“Here, bite into the tortilla.” 

Hecate did not eat, eyes trained on the human in the truck. The cook handed down another burrito and Mormo accepted it. He peeled back the foil and bit down. As he chewed, familiar tastes burst in his mouth: Cheese, some kind of bean, a savory sauce, and the thin, soft bread. 

“There you go!” Mike’s grin split his face and Mormo momentarily forgot his meal. He suddenly realized just how handsome the princess’ betrothed was. Hecate coughed and rolled her eyes. “Just peel the foil back as you eat and then you’re all done.” Mike assured.

The man in the truck handed two more burritos down. Thoth and Coyote took one each. Thoth set about to mimicking Mike’s earlier lessons with extreme precision. As the others ate, Hecate contemplated the foil wrapped item in her hands. 

“Why do you imprison it so?” She asked Mike. 

Mike flashed her a nervous smile. “Don’t you guys have aluminum foil or burritos in your country? Wait, that was rude, I’m sorry.” He switched gears. “Uh, it’s not imprisoned, the foil just keeps it from making a mess while you eat.” He nodded towards Thoth and Mormo, obediently peeling back the foil as they ate. 

Hecate did not look impressed. “Why create food that requires such labor to consume?”

Mike fumbled for an answer until Thoth stepped in. “Don’t mind her, Mike. Helen is utilitarian to a fault.”

Hecate snarled half heartedly at Thoth and the human before tearing into her burrito’s wrapping further. A dollop of the bean filling fell onto the pavement as she ripped a bit of the bread too. Sighing like a long suffering martyr, Hecate then attempted to fit the entire girth of the burrito in her mouth. 

Mike and the truck proprietor’s eyes widened. 

“Uh….” Mike stammered. 

Mormo belatedly realized just what the princess’ actions reminded them of. Oblivious, Hecate bit down. Beans and sauce spilled onto the ground and trickled down her chin from the corners of her mouth. She glanced at the fallen food and grumbled wordless protests. 

“Princess,” Mormo looked her up and down as she gazed at her food in frustration. “If you like, I can procure something else to eat?”

At that moment, Hecate realized she was making a scene and her brows knit together. “No, it’s fine. I’m just not used to, what did Frey call it… finger food?”

Lizi got her burrito last and they moved to the side so the food truck could take more orders. For a moment, they chewed in silence, enjoying the familiar tastes in an unfamiliar package, filling bellies emptied by travel through the gate. 

Coyote started collecting the foil pieces the others had dropped on the ground and crushed them into small balls, engrossed in his busy work. Metztli finished last, only after Thoth prodded her in the stomach and ordered her to stop looking in every direction at once and eat. 

All the while, Mike chatted with his friend between customers and kept shooting nervous glances back at the devils. 

“You guys done?” He asked at last. Mormo nodded. “Ok,” Mike continued, “then let me walk you back to your hotel at least, and hopefully your friend calls soon. Where are you staying?”

Thoth pulled out her phone and somehow made the image on the screen change into the map again. “We are staying in the apartment complex two city blocks south and five city blocks west of here,” she answered.

“Wow, nice! That’s a ritzy place,” Mike said in appreciative awe. “So not all that far. Come on.”

They trailed after the human, Coyote still playing with his foil, Lizi licking her fingers, and Thoth gazing at the world before her with aloof superiority. Mormo fell back until he walked abreast of Hecate. 

“The human seems resourceful. Perhaps we should recruit him.” He dared broach the subject, unsure how to secure Mike’s consent while still giving Hecate time to adjust.

“He is a mere human, Mormo. Surely you’re joking?” Hecate gazed at Mike’s back as they walked, her words dismissive. 

“Lady Sarah is a human too, and yet your father trusts her to guide us,” he pointed out.

“A trust I think was misplaced,” Hecate snapped. “She has abandoned us in our hour of need.”

“There is a logical explanation for that, I’m sure of it.” 

“I don’t want to argue about this,” Hecate groused. Her expression softened. “I do not understand why father insists on forcing me to interact with humanity. I won’t live long enough for these experiences to matter.” 

She spoke in the calm, matter of fact tone. Hecate accepted life for what it was: a series of successes and failures. She believed she knew what she could overcome and what battles were predetermined. The princess had already given up on a long life.

Mormo’s eyes stung with tears. He’d watched her grow up. Stood by her when she’d discovered she inherited her grandfather’s curse. And he’d watched the hope slowly drain from her eyes as years of searching passed them by. They were so close now. Did he risk moving too fast, if only to give her a spark of hope? He almost threw caution to the wind when Lizi fell back and matched their pace.

“Don’t say that, princess.” She smiled at Hecate. “We are here to learn and to search and it’s only just begun. If you believe it to be hopeless, at least hang on a bit longer just for us. No one here has been to the human world before, after all.”

As usual, the young devil knew just what to say. Hecate blessed them with one of her rare smiles. “How selfish of me, Lizi. I shall endure just for you.”

Lizi blushed. “Thank you. This world is amazing and I long to see more of it.”

Hecate hummed. Before she could say more, the phone in her pocket made an awful chiming noise and broke her rare moment of calm. She jumped and clawed at her pants, then caught Mike staring at her with obvious curiosity and glowered at him. Twice in one night, the man had witnessed her embarrassing herself but Mormo sensed no anger from the princess, only chagrin. 

She failed to get to the phone in time on the first round, but after a moment of silence, the sound started up again and Hecate stabbed the green button with her finger. Mormo noted her claws had vanished. 

“Lady Sarah?” Hecate grated out. “Where have you been?”

Mormo could hear the woman’s reply clearly. She spoke in an even diplomatic tone. 

“I am sorry, miss Helen. Your father indicated you were due two days from now. My phone was off during my son’s cello recital.”

“He what? That conniving old corpse,” Hecate spat but didn’t blame their guide further. King Hades was not a very attentive devil on his best days and deliberately manipulative on his worst. Whatever reason he had to lie about their schedule wasn’t worth fretting over.

“I am two hours and forty three minutes away,” Lady Sarah informed them. “Please wait outside your apartment building. I am bringing everything you and your people need to get settled.”

“Three hours?” Metztli blurted out. 

“Two hours and forty minutes,” Coyote corrected peevishly. 

“Forty three minutes,” Thoth tossed in her comment.

Hecate snarled at them, then said “hurry” into the phone. She hung up without waiting for a response. Thank goodness King Hades had picked someone used to the short tempers of the royal family. 

Mike, who’d been hanging around the edges of the group during the call stepped close again. “Was that your friend?” Hecate nodded and he continued. “Awesome! Well, I’ve got work early tomorrow, so I’ll head home now. It was great to meet you guys!”

“Wait,” Hecate ordered. “You must choose your reward.”

“My what?”

“A reward,” she repeated, eyes narrowing. “For aiding us. As a prin—” Mormo grunted and quirked his eyebrow. “As a morally upstanding human,” she corrected, “I cannot ignore your help in our time of need.”

“Uh, that’s sweet of you to offer,” Mike stammered, “but Carl didn’t even charge me, so really, all I did was show you how to eat a burrito. Not a big deal.”

Hecate stepped closer, sizing him up like a hungry beast. Mike took a step back and Mormo wanted to scold him. _Stop fidgeting, you’re triggering her prey drive._

As he predicted, Hecate’s eyes flashed and she closed the gap again. “You will accept our gratitude, Mike.”

Before he could stammer out another excuse, her phone rang again and she jumped back, juggling it back and forth as she attempted not to drop it. Mormo suppressed a laugh and caught the ghost of a smile on Mike’s lips. 

She answered with little more than a growl and listened impatiently as Sarah, now on route, gave the princess various pieces of advice to tide them over until she arrived. Hecate tapped her booted foot and never took her eyes off their human. 

Then Thoth said something and drew the princess into conversation, making her play go between as Metztli and Coyote peppered Sarah with questions. Hecate stepped towards the other two, barking into her phone and to her subordinates. Mike wisely took this chance to flee, and by the time they finished the call, he was gone. 

***

“I can’t believe that sniveling human ran with his tail between his legs like a hell puppy!” Hecate clenched her fist into a tight ball and it down on the granite countertop of the large kitchen workstation. 

The mottled stone cracked and Sarah held her head in her hand, a gesture common to anyone who worked with the princess on a regular basis "Not the island, please Princess Hecate….”

Hecate speared their human guide with a quicksilver glare, which shifted to Thoth next. “It’s all your fault he had the chance to escape in the first place!”

“Oh, come now, Tae, you know he didn’t want to be there, so just leave it.” Thoth waved her long fingers in the air and shrugged. 

Hecate huffed and shrugged back. The devil of wisdom was seldom wrong. “Fine. Sarah, continue your orientation.” She gestured. 

Sarah gave the crack on the kitchen island a half hearted glance and continued. Even after driving at breakneck speeds in the middle of the night to rescue the lost and confused devils, not a single hair of her twisted bun was out of place and her green eyes flashed with controlled energy behind square glasses. Hecate admired her calm and thanked her father for sending them such a capable attendant. Anyone who could handle her father deserved respect. 

“As I was saying, most humans cannot sense your true nature. This Mike person you met was likely intimidated by your current attire and somewhat bullish attitude, as opposed to any respect for your nobility. Which is why he fled instead of observing the proper formalities.” Sarah said in clipped tones.

Hecate’s mouth dropped open at the frank insult. Thoth chuckled and Coyote sniggered. Neither defended her, Hecate noted. Not that there was anything _to_ defend. Hecate knew she was quick tempered, stubborn, and probably a little stupid. Egos on the battlefield were there to kill, not solve riddles. She never felt lacking, indeed her temper was a boon in the heat of combat. Nevertheless, having the truth shoved in her face was… galling. 

Metztli’s wide eyed flicked between the princess and the human and Thoth gazed out the window of the high rise as if nothing at all was amiss. 

“Point taken,” Hecate sniffed again, her bad habit when she was agitated, and looked down her nose at the shorter woman. 

Sarah’s mouth twitched a small smile before she continued. “Tomorrow is a Monday. I have positions assigned for each of you at the office and just for tomorrow I’ll pick you all up out front and take you into the building. The distance is short enough to walk on a normal day, but I think some extra guidance at first will benefit us all.”

“Thank you, Lady Sarah,” Mormo nodded in gratitude and she smiled widely at him. Hecate rolled her eyes. That old man was too handsome for his own good, even in the watered down human costume he wore now. 

“Uh, Lady Sarah? May I ask: what’s my job?” Metztli crept forward, gazing at Lady Sarah with bridled enthusiasm. 

“Lady Metztli? We have assigned you to the cafe on the first floor of the office building.”

“The… cafe?” She quirked her head to one side. “Will I be close to the others?”

For the first time, Sarah’s facade cracked. She looked at the youngest of the devils, with almond skin and thick dark hair that fell around her shoulders in great waves. Metztli had begged and pleaded with her mother to be allowed on this expedition at all and it showed clear as day on her youthful face. Her position, however, was lackluster at best and Lady Sarah knew it. 

“In a way,” Sarah said slowly, “you will help operate the restaurant, which will allow you to monitor those coming and going of the entire building.”

Lizi’s eyes shuttered and she hung her head. “So, mother got her way in the end. No real responsibility, just busy work while the adults contribute.”

Before Hecate could say more, Thoth ambled forward and put her arm around Lizi’s shoulders. “I know it doesn’t help now, but trust me: sneaking snacks from behind the counter and sipping fancy coffee will be more interesting than our paper pushing up stairs.”

Lizi sniffled and gave Sarah a weak smile. “Alright. I’ll do my best.”

“Now, what about the rest of us?” Hecate stepped in.

***

Sarah left just under two hours later. Coyote opened his sack of supplies and sniffed. Paper, both old and new, plastic, nameless grime, and ink. They’d brought the human world “cell phones” with them from hell, mostly so their human savvy cousin Freya could teach them a few tricks, but left it to Lady Sarah to deliver other essentials. Hecate had, of course, skipped all of Frey’s training sessions. Far too much talking and not enough sword swinging. 

Lizi dumped her own bag out on the stone counter top and pawed through the contents. She picked up a thin piece of plastic emblazoned with the name “Meagan Graves” in capitol letters. To the left of her human name, a grainy picture of her human form smiled brightly at the camera. 

“Oh, I remember taking this,” she remarked, squinting at the tiny portrait. “I don’t like these disguises but at least my smile is the same.”

“And your smile is the best part!” Coyote leaned in and grabbed her by the hand, putting it on his chest. He hoped Lizi could keep her optimism and love of life after their tour here was completed. Humans were dark, twisted beings and Lizi was far too pure and joyful for this filthy world. Coyote winced inwardly and gave himself a mental pinch. These dark musings were unlike him. Lizi needed strong roots to help her flourish.

Meanwhile, Lizi’s eyes sparkled, oblivious to Coyote’s sour thoughts, and she clasped his hand. “I wish I had an interesting job, like you and Thoth. What did you get?”

Coyote disentangled himself and pulled out his own sheaf of papers from Lady Sarah. “Caleb Graves. Corporate Secretary for Miles Graves,” he read. 

“Miles? I suppose that’s uncle Mormo,” Lizi scrunched her nose up like a child and cast their uncle a sidelong glance. “Why give us all the same last name. Won’t that make people suspicious?”

“It will,” Hecate said as she strode over to them. “But the less we muddle the truth, the easier it will be to integrate long term. We are all family, after all. Father decided the risk of flaunting our nepotism was worth it. Besides, humans are results driven. If we can turn around this branch’s profits and stabilize it’s operations, no one will care if we’re distant cousins who look nothing alike.”

Lizi nodded, but Coy didn’t quite buy it. Humans would understand they were essentially taking over the family business, but that didn’t mean they would ever grow to trust their new superiors. With nothing more than Hecate’s father as a nebulous reference, the humans wouldn’t understand the honor and privilege it was to work with a princess of hell or a deity of wisdom. 

But, it didn’t matter. Coyote looked at the princess and sighed happily. She was beautiful and strong, the perfect warrior. Built for action and movement, Hecate had never lost a physical fight. When it came to wits, however… He loved his princess like a big sister but she was not the wisest of devils. Hopefully uncle Mormo could pick up her slack. For some reason Hecate had been assigned as the CEO of the entire office. King Hades probably chose that position for his daughter as a joke. 

“You don’t believe Father?” Hecate pinned Coyote with a black gaze. She was still in a foul mood. 

Coy decided to be frank and flashed her a gaze that lived up to his nickname. “I trust your ability to protect and guide us.” Not quite an insult to the king, and a strong compliment to the princess. 

Hecate puffed up and grinned. “You’re a shameless flirt, my friend.”

“I can’t disagree!” He said with easy cheer. Coy was what he was: a funny, honest flirt. He liked dry humor, hounds, the untamed wilds of his home, tall men, and curvy women. Simple tastes for a simple devil. If only he could keep the shadow of himself quiet and hidden away _all_ the time. 

“I will take my leave now, princess,” Lady Sarah disengaged from her conversation with Uncle and turned to the group at large. “I will see you all tomorrow at seven o’clock in the morning, outside the apartment. Don’t be late, please. We need to make a good impression.”

Hecate made a grumpy little sound of protest. Lady Sarah ordered them around easily and that chafed against the princesses basic nature. This would be… interesting, if nothing else. They all knew how important their search was, though Coyote suspected there was more to it than looking for a lost devil. Even Thoth, who held more secrets than truths, was usually cagey. 

“Will you be working with us?” Thoth asked as the human reached the door.

“Yes,” she answered, “as Princess Hecate’s personal assistant.”

Coyote could almost hear Hecate roll her eyes. 


	3. Chapter 3

***

All in all, the day started out pretty well. Mike got to work on time, like he always did. He greeted his coworkers with genuine cheer, like he always did. He sat at his desk and spent the first hour of his day answering client emails, like he always did. 

So, when his boss, Jordon, called him into his office, Mike thought nothing of it. 

“Mike, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you’re fired.” Jordon looked him right in the eyes and delivered the fatal news with easy confidence and no preamble.

“I’m— what?” Mike struggled to process his boss’s words. “Why?”

“Corporate told us they’d given us one too many seats by accident. We’d already filled them, so someone has to go.”

He had remembered some others whispering in the kitchen about how HR had been in and out of Jordan’s office for days. Quite suddenly, Mike felt furiously, disproportionally angry. 

“So, why not let go one of our new guys? I’ve been with this company seven years and I’ve never gotten anything less than excellent reviews.”

Now Jordon fidgeted and Mike braced himself for what was next. He understood what was going on now.

“It’s just… well, Gabe has been concerned about your quality of work for a while now and you’ve made no real effort to fix it—”

“That shithead!” Mike rose his voice before he realized that he’d just doused the last few planks of the proverbial bridge in gasoline and thrown a lighter at it. 

“Mike! Control your tone,” Jordon ordered. “This is the attitude he was worried about. I listened to his assessment and in the end we agreed to let a promising new employee step into your role. This is for the best. Take some time off and get your life together. When you feel ready, I’m sure Gabe will write you a letter of recommendation.”

Mike wanted to scream the truth at the cool and collected man before him. That Gabe was a conniving little bastard who had chatted a lonely man up over after-work drinks and masterful manipulation of the recent divorcee’s emotions. If Mike wasn’t getting royally screwed, he would admire the man’s skills. Plus, “get his life together?” What kind of twisted truths had Gabe fed Jordon?

All because he refused to let Gabe push him around like he did the others in the department by flaunting his connections to the boss, Mike was taking the fall. An example to anyone else who thought of acting up. The man was incompetent when it came to actual work tasks and probably a sociopath who only wanted more power. Cold comfort, but Mike had no doubt it wouldn’t be a year before Gabe stabbed Jordon in the back too. And like hell Mike would ever give—or get—a positive recommendation to either of them. 

“Fine. I’ll get my shit together and be out by the end of the day.”

“About that…” Jordon trailed off. 

“What now?”

“There’s a security guard at your desk. He’ll help you pack up and escort you out of the building.”

He didn’t have the energy to care anymore. Did they honestly think he’d do something as awful as sabotage the department in some way? Jordon and Gabe were dicks, sure, but the rest of them were friendly coworkers, some were even work friends. Screwing them over just for petty revenge was beyond repugnant. It was something Gabe would do, for example.

So, Mike just shrugged and went to collect his things. Life felt like a photo with too many filters on it, bland and fuzzed out. He barely remembered his commute home. 

The next surprise came when he arrived home, to the apartment he shared with his fiancé of three years, Meagan. Someone with a red sports car was parked in their reserved spot. Meagan was at work at her job as a stylist at a chic little hair salon. 

“Asshole,” Mike muttered as he turned down a row and found another, uncovered parking spot. He moved his car for Meagan when she got home anyways.

But, as he walked down the aisle, Mike noticed Meagan’s car parked a few stalls down. Weird. Was she feeling sick? That made the guy taking their spot as even bigger jerk. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long after stepping in the door to realize what was really going on. Thrown over the kitchen table chair hung a bomber jacket that wasn’t his. By Meagan’s favorite pair of pink pumps sat a pair of black and white slip-on sneakers. 

There was another person here, and they weren’t in the living room, which left two other available rooms: the bathroom and the bedroom. 

Mike didn’t want to walk down the short hall and push open the cracked door. He didn’t want to see his, now ex-, fiancé naked with some guy. Her months of lackluster interest in sex made more sense in hindsight. And here he thought it was because she was working towards a promotion to shift manager at the salon, too busy and tired to have fun. Come to think of it, was the promotion part even true?

Nevertheless, he had no choice. Before he walked out of here, he needed to know. Before he cut her out of his life, he had to at least see her face when she tried to explain it away. 

So, Mike walked down a ten feet of hallway that felt like ten miles and opened the bedroom door.

***

Sometime later, in a park bench near the avenue he often bar hopped with Kyle, Mike stared at his phone. 

He should call Kyle, the best friend, the wing man, the brother from another mother. Kyle would put him up for however long Mike needed, without question. 

But Mike couldn’t allow that. Three months ago, Kyle had introduced him to a woman named Heather at a small house party held by a mutual friend. She’d seemed nice, easy going, and the perfect fit for his friend. So, when Kyle pulled Mike aside and admitted he was going to propose within the next six months, Mike couldn’t muster up even fake surprise. That party had been five months ago and last week Kyle had told him he’d booked a booth at a romantic restaurant for the Fourth of July evening. Dinner, followed by fireworks on the boardwalk. 

There was no way he’d crash at the place of a friend getting ready to propose to the love of his life.

“Whatever,” he muttered. He’d just get a hotel and figure it out from there. Maybe Carl would give him a job at the food truck for a while. 

Mike wandered a few streets over to a mid-scale hotel. He needed a place to sleep first and foremost. Then came the third rude awakening of the day: the credit card he shared with Meagan was declined at the hotel’s front desk. 

“I’m sorry, sir, but it looks like it won’t go through.”

“Shit,” Mike muttered. “Can you try it again? It’s an old card, so maybe the strip is going bad?”

“I’ve already tried it three times… Do you have any other cards?” The man looked genuinely sorry for him.

Mike looked through his wallet. Surely he had something? But, no, the bank had closed his only other card last month due to inactivity. He’d never seen the need to have more than one card and when he told Sarah he’d keep just the one for his main account, she’d thrown a fit that it wasn’t a joint account. So he’d added her. A simple action turned colossal mistake. 

“Ok, well, thanks man,” he grumbled at the kid. 

Now what?

***

Hecate did not like the office. She did not like the people. She did not like the work. It seemed like nothing but inane video conferences with equally inane humans, memos, paperwork, and mindless tasks. Sarah helped her along but by the end of the day, even even tempered Mormo lost his patience with the princess.

“That was the most boring thing I’ve ever done,” she announced in the elevator as they descended and prepared to pick up Lizi from her job at the cafe. 

“It would be more interesting if you applied yourself even the slightest degree,” Mormo grumbled. 

“I doubt it,” she snapped. 

Thoth rolled her eyes. “Your father thinks this will help you grow as a princess. Something to do when we’re not searching for your bond mate.”

“Both pointless tasks,” Hecate snapped. Was she beating a dead horse? Sure, but it was her last line of rebellion. Hades had, in an unprecedented move, ordered her as the King of the Underworld to visit the human realm and search for her bonding partner. She’d even begged him to reconsider. Her humiliation had been immeasurable. 

How trying to understand computers and cell phones and whatever a vid con system was would help anything, she had no idea. Perhaps this was just one of her father’s flights of fancy. But would he really pull rank on her just for this? Something didn’t add up but Hecate had no idea what it was. 

“Yes, yes, we understand,” Thoth drolled, “You hate this and humans etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. I know you’ve a brain in there, you’ll learn how to do the work eventually.

“Did you even do any work today, Thoth?” Hecate snapped. “All I saw was you fending off hoards of women. If you’d just worn a dress, you could save yourself the trouble.”

Thoth’s body was naturally slim, with a small bust and narrow hips, much like Hecate, though Thoth lacked the toned muscles and feminine grace Hecate had honed from years of combat training. The deity of wisdom referred to herself as woman and used female pronouns, but tended to dodge any detailed questions of sexuality and dressed in masculine clothing.

“That makes no sense,” she shot back. “If I wear a dress, the men would follow me around instead and I prefer women harassing me to men. They’re gentler.”

“Point taken,” Hecate conceded. She’d had her fair share of amorous men looking to tryst with the famous warrior princess of Hell. She’d beat the piss out of anyone foolish enough to irritate her. Much to her mother’s frustration and her father’s delight. Besides, none of them were her bonding partner so it hardly mattered. 

The elevator emitted a buzzing ding and they stepped out. Lizi was waiting for them, her green apron folded neatly over her arm.

“Finally!” She swooned into Coy’s arms. “Save me from this dreadful purgatory.

Coy pet her head and smiled lovingly. Hecate sometimes found herself jealous of the easy hugs and cuddles the cousins shared. Once upon a time, she’d had a girlish crush on Coyote of course, just like every devil who liked men. But what Coy and Lizi had wasn’t a mutual crush, but the soft affection of family. Hecate tried to imagine her sister, Hella, hugging her the way Coy did and wrinkled her nose.

“Sarah told us to make our own way home. She’ll come help us shop later tonight after she calls her husband.” Mormo explained to the group. 

Their apartment was indeed only a few streets over. Minutes later, they ambled up to the entrance and Mormo fumbled for the piece of plastic that served as their key to the building. 

“Er, Tae, is that who I think it is?” Lizi whispered as she pointed towards a bench sitting along the wall of the building. 

On that bench sat none other than Mike, his head in his hands. Hecate felt Mormo stiffen. Strange, he’d liked the human well enough last night.

“Interesting,” was all the princess said in reply before striding over the human and bending down to loom over him. “What brings you here, Mr. Mike?”

“Oh, shit!” He started and jumped to his feet. Hecate neatly side stepped to avoid a collision. “Well, remember that reward you mentioned? I need a place to stay.”

***

He was crazy. Insane. Why was he standing here in front of a complete stranger—a weird stranger—asking to sleep in her house? And, in a fantastic escalation of crazy, Helen simply shrugged and said “easy enough.”

“Wait, you’re serious?” Mike looked at her with narrowed eyes. 

“Of course.”

“What if I’m an axe murderer?”

“One hardly needs an axe to kill.” She commented. Mike was suddenly reminded that she wasn’t just a weird stranger. She seemed to possess a barely restrained violent streak. 

“True…?” He wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that but she didn’t seem worried. Come to think of it, should he be the worried one? “I promise I won’t stay long. I just need a day or two. Meagan will calm down and I can get her to let me back into our account and then I’ll have the money I need to find a hotel.”

Helen nodded like she couldn’t care less. “We have the entire top floor. You won’t take up much space.”

This was all the invitation he would get, apparently, because the woman walked away, waving her hand like a queen ordering around a servant. 

“Er, right.” He stumbled after her long strides. The other people in her group gazed at him with speculation but accepted Helen’s judgement without question. Miles was older but clearly not the boss here. As Mike passed, he pinned him with a probing, almost hopeful look. Oh god, he _was_ going to get axe murdered, wasn’t he? Was it too late to back out now.

Wait. The _whole_ top floor? “Do you all live together? In a penthouse?” He asked.

“Is that what it’s called?” A tall, slim person with violet hair in a princess cut asked. 

“Yes?” He wasn’t sure how to answer that. Everyone knew what a penthouse was. Unless… “Is English not your first language?”

“I suppose you could say that,” they chuckled. 

“Quinn is only teasing you. She loves poking fun at people almost as much at Caleb.” The older gentleman quipped as he unlocked the door with a white card and they stepped into a lobby that had more marble than any other room he’d been inside. 

Mike glanced between the slicked back blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin of the older man and the bronze skin and dyed hair of Quinn. The contrast was similar between the other three in the group. They didn’t look like closely related biological family and Mike found himself inappropriately curious why five work friends from another country shared a penthouse that cost more in monthly rent than he made in a month. Even split five ways that was a lot of cash. 

They crowded into the elevator and the gentleman pushed the topmost button. It ascended thirty five floors before gliding to stop. They stepped out into a small room with a single, double door across from them. Caleb waved another, black, keycard in front of it and the lock clicked open. He flashed everyone a cheerful smile and held the door as they filed into the massive, two story main living area. Cathedral ceilings caught the setting sun from the picture windows that spanned the entire height and length of the great room. Up a pair of elegant floating stairs, several rooms lined a balcony with crystal clear glass railings that overlooked the main living space. Everything was made of neutral ash wood, understated grey granite, and stainless steel. And, was that a pool outside?

“Wow,” Mike breathed. 

“It is passable,” Helen let out a long suffering sigh. 

They weren’t just the one percent. More like the 0.001%.

“Now, sit and we shall introduce ourselves,” she ordered. 

Mike sat. 

The group arrayed themselves before him on the sofa opposite his loveseat and Helen pointed at herself. “My name is Hec—” The older man coughed. “Helen” 

“This is Miles,” she pointed to the older gentleman next. “Quinn,” she gestured to the woman with purple hair. “Then Caleb,” next she gestured to a man with feminine features, copper skin, and twinkling eyes. He winked at Mike. “Last is Meagan.” The hispanic woman looked up as she undid a bulky bun, revealing a cascade of hair that reached the back of her knees. It uncoiled like a waterfall, catching the setting sun and taking his breath away with its simplistic elegance. She looked like the youngest of the group, barely twenty, if that. She was nothing like his ex but her name made him wince anyways.

“Hi,” she mumbled shyly. Caleb smirked in response. 

“With that out of the way, Miles, find him a room.” She’d already turned away as she gave the command. 

Miles nodded, not bothered by Helen’s bossy attitude, and gestured to the concrete stairs. “Shall we? We’ve only just moved in ourselves, but you can have one of the guest rooms.” Meagan and Caleb followed them up.

This answered his question of if they lived together, though not how they were related. It wasn’t any of his damn business but his curiosity was overwhelming. Something about them pulled him in like a black hole. 

As they walked the balcony, Miles rattled off names as he passed each door. “This is Helen’s, mine, then Quinn, Caleb, and last Meagan. You’re room is next to hers.”

“What about the bathroom?” Mike inquired.

The young woman raised one thick, sculpted eyebrow. “Bath _room?_ We each have our own, of course.”

Oh. Of course. 

Miles opened a door to reveal a hotel-like room, with a bed, nightstand, plush armchair with reading lamp, a dresser, and a work desk with a high end office chair. And, sure enough, a doorless entry into a bathroom of classic subway tiles and bronze fixtures. The room lacked any personality, other than “affluence.” The mahogany desk and burnt umber leather of the armchair looked like it cost, well, a hell of a lot of money. He would never dream of owning furniture like this and he hadn’t been paid poorly. 

“I’ll give you a moment to get situated, then come back downstairs, please.” Miles turned away and addressed the two younger people, asking them to give the newcomer some privacy. 

Mike realized he didn’t actually have anything to put away. He’d left his apartment in a rush, still wearing his work messenger bag and work clothes. At least the bag contained a fresh undershirt, boxers, and toothbrush. As humiliating as it would be, he’d have to bum shampoo and body wash off someone else.

Except, when he stepped into the bathroom to explore, Mike found the room fully stocked. Every cosmetic he would need sat nestled in towel lined baskets or lined up on floating glass shelves. 

Miles hadn’t told him to hurry, so Mike opted for a simple shower. It felt gross putting back on a dirty over shirt and pants, but at least he had fresh underwear. 

Feeling a little more human and less like a bag of trash, Mike stepped onto the balcony and straight into an argument. 

“Lady Sarah, I am perfectly capable of procuring food for the night. You shall not come all this way just to coddle us.” Helen sounded frustrated. 

This “Lady Sarah” said something that made her even angrier.

Miles gently took the phone from the fuming woman and spoke. “I understand it is your duty to guide us, but I think we can manage a meal for this night. We have actually picked up a nice young man who may be able to help us.” He paused for a response. Then, “Ah! No, not that kind of picked up.” Pause. “I do not anticipate any issues. Please trust our judgement on the matter…. Yes, thank you, lady Sarah. We shall see you tomorrow.”

Helen noticed him then. “Ah, Mike, come down here. You will help us find some food.”

Help them? A moment ago she was insisting she could do it herself. But, with her mood as it was—she practically oozed annoyance—Mike hurried down the stairs before she took her frustrations out on him too. “What kind of food did you have in mind?” 

“What are our options?”

Seriously? “Well, this is almost the heart of the city. You can get delivery for just about anything. Asian? European? Middle East? Classic American? Where are you guys from, maybe some comfort food would be good.”

Helen stared at him blankly.

“Asian,” Quinn announced, inserting herself into the conversation. “Chinese, perhaps? That is a classic for those who have just moved into a new home, is it not?”

Well, that was a strange way to put it. “Sure, sounds good. Let me see….” Mike pulled out his phone and opened one of the many delivery apps he used. He wasn’t too familiar with this area, so he settled for the closest place with over three and a half stars. “What do you want?” 

Rather than try to get something out Helen, Mike just handed his phone to Quinn, who seemed happy to choose for the entire group. 

Minutes later, Mike boggled at her order. This was enough to cater a company party. 

“Isn’t this a little much?” He ventured. 

“Leftover delivery is also a classic, is it not? This should be enough to get us through tomorrow morning.” Quinn shrugged. 

“Tomorrow morning? You’ll be eating lo mein and fried rice for a week, even with five people.”

“Six,” Helen corrected. “You shall eat too, of course.”

“No, I couldn’t.” He waved his hands in front of him. “I’m already crashing your place as it is. I had a big lunch,” Mike lied. 

Helen narrowed her eyes and glanced at Quinn, who gave a small nod. In the background, Mike thought he felt Miles staring at him again.

“Don’t lie. You are quite hungry and will eat with us.” Her tone brooked no argument. 

“Ok, then. Thanks.” Mike steeled himself for his next question. “This is kind of embarrassing, but my credit card doesn’t work right now. Can someone use their info or do you have cash?” He held out his phone to show them the total for the food. “Add about twenty percent more for tip.” 

Miles pulled a dark leather wallet out of his pocket and flipped it open. Mike didn’t want to pry but his eyes bulged when he saw a hefty stack of hundred dollar bills tucked in the billfold. 

He examined the screen, then glanced at his wallet. “We shall pay with cash.” 

Mike nodded, reeling from the careless display of wealth. Miles seemed like a decent guy, so he doubted the other man did it on purpose. This was just how they lived, apparently. 

Mike placed the order, selecting cash payment upon delivery, and put his phone away. The group stood awkwardly around the kitchen island—wait, was that a crack? In a new apartment? What a shame—until Caleb and Meagan wandered to one of the long, plush couches and sat down to cuddle. They seemed really close, but more like siblings than a couple. Caleb’s eyes closed like he was about to fall asleep as Meagan stroked his hair.

“You.” Helen said curtly. She stepped close to him and examined his damp hair. Because she had several inches over him, she bent over like a teacher examining her troublemaking student. 

“Mike Harris is my full name, but please, just call me Mike.”

She nodded. “Mike. You are dripping.” Her eyes flicked to a clump of his dirty blonde hair, still wet, just as a fat droplet of water fell to the floor and splashed on the artfully stained concrete flooring. 

“Gah!” Mike looked at his feet and his stomach shriveled when he saw the ring of water he stood in the center of. “Shit. Sorry! I’ll clean it up.” He’d been so focused on navigating this strange situation he’d failed to notice his now damp shirt clinging to his shoulders and sopping wet hair. Meagan eyed his wet clothing. Was she flirting or grossed out, he wondered. 

“Change first, then clean” Helen nodded towards his guest room. 

“Er….” Mike clenched his fists until his nails dug into flesh. He didn’t have anything else to wear and admitting it to her felt like defeat.

Miles came to rescue. He gave a slight cough and stepped to Mike’s side in an almost protective gesture. “I believe Mike did not pack much. I shall take him to my room. My leisure wear will fit well enough for the night.”

This seemed to satisfy the woman and Mike followed his savior upstairs. 

Mile’s bedroom was all dark leather, green, and polished walnut. Unlike the neutral guest room, this one exuded an understated, mature personality. They may have just moved in, but they had clearly picked out the decor before hand.

Mike stood awkwardly just inside the door as Miles slid open the closet doors and stepped into a room the size of a college dorm. 

“Come here and tell me what you like. I’m afraid my tastes may not match a young man such as yourself,” Miles called from inside the walk-in closet. 

“I’m sure it’s fine,” he replied as he stepped into the room. Miles was just a little older, not a prudish grandpa. 

Rows of immaculate suits, pants, button down shirts, gleaming leather loafers, and glinting gold and silver watches assaulted Mike’s practical sensibilities. “Wow,” he breathed before he could stop himself. 

Miles just chuckled and pointed to one corner. “My casual clothes are in that area, I believe. Please help yourself. Take enough for several days. I insist.”

Before Mike could object, the man swept from the room and shut the door. 

After several agonizing minutes, Mike settled on three matching pairs of athletic pants and shirts in grey and black. He took them back to his room and discarded his old clothes into a waiting hamper by the bathroom door. Curious about how his room compared to the others, he slid open the closet door he hadn’t noticed before.

Sure enough, an empty room just as large as Miles’ yawned back at him. He placed the folded bundle of clothes on a nearby shelf and made his way downstairs. Miles hadn’t showed him any underwear, either because the man didn’t wear any or assumed he had his own, which meant Mike would have to scrounge up something or go commando. Tomorrow, he’d ask Kyle to spot him twenty bucks. They had enough mutual friends he’d find out about Meagan eventually and the truth should come from his best friend not second hand at a party. Now that he had a place to stay, Mike could dodge Kyle’s inevitable invitation to move in.

As he exited his room, Mike heard another argument below. 

“I do not like using those names in our own home.” Helen stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Miles. 

“It is not what we had planned, true,” Miles replied evenly, “but the practice will benefit us all. There were several times today when you failed to respond to your name. I believe Mike will help you adjust a great deal.”

 _Those names?_ Mike felt bad they’d had to “americanize” their names when they moved here.

Quinn coughed and jerked their head towards the stairs. Mike waved sheepishly and joined them. He wanted to tell Helen she could use her given name, he didn’t care, but he couldn’t find an opening. His phone vibrated in his pocket.

“Oh, hey!” He exclaimed as he looked at the lock screen. “Looks like our food is almost done. That was fast.” Weird, considering the order was so large. He shrugged mentally and filed the thought away to contemplate later.

“How long until it arrives?” Mile’s asked. “And I’m glad my clothing suits you.” 

“Yea, it’s great, thanks!” Mike looked towards the kitchen for the mess he’d made. “Where’s a mop or a towel I can—”

“Oh, please don’t worry. I cleaned it up while you were changing.” Miles smiled. 

“You didn’t have to do that.” Mike’s face heated with embarrassment. He wasn’t used to people doing so much for him.

“It’s a fair trade. I doubt our esteemed leader could have found food so easily on her own.” Mile’s tone was light and easy as he teased Helen.

Helen _tsk_ ed him and focused on Mike. Just like before, he felt like a bug under a magnifying glass. 

“How long do you require lodging?” She asked. 

Here it comes, Mike signed inwardly. First she’d said they had plenty of space, now she was pressuring him to move out. Was dripping on their floor really that offensive? Or did they realize he was just a poor slob below their status. “I can be out tomorrow,” he promised. Kyle would spot him as much as he needed to pay for a hotel in cash, assuming he could find a place that even took cash. 

“You misunderstand.” Helen sighed. “I am trying to plan if we should have Sarah order any structural or decorative changes for your room.”

Mike found himself speechless. Was she seriously standing there asking if he wanted the guest room remodeled? Rich or not, that seemed a little over the top. “You don’t have to do that.”

“True,” she countered, “but what if I _want_ to do it?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Mike saw Quinn’s eyes widen. Something about the expression told him she hardly ever looked surprised. Mike looked at Helen with new eyes. Sure, she was pretty tactless and extremely bossy, but so far Helen hadn’t done anything cruel. And now she was offering to redecorate a room just for a mooch like him, just because he’d helped them out a bit. 

“I don’t have a personal style, really. If I think of something, I’ll let you know.” 

“So, you plan to stay for more than a day?” The corner of Helen’s mouth pulled into a smug smile. 

“Why not? It’ll take a while for the bank to sort things out anyways. Meagan just needs time.”

The other Meagan, still on the couch with a snoozing Caleb, looked up. “I need time?”

“Oh” Mike realized he’d never explained anything. “Meagan is my ex. She cheated on me and then cancelled our credit card. Which is why I was sitting outside your apartment like a stalker.”

“Cancelled your credit card?” Meagan tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips in confusion. 

“He means she took away his ability to pay people,” Quinn narrowed her eyes. “This woman of yours sounds quite spiteful.”

“Should we pay her a visit?” Helen asked suddenly. Mike threw Miles a panicked look. The woman looked ready to ride into war. 

Miles coughed to get her attention. “I think that would only make things worse. Mike is an adult, so let us help him in less invasive ways.”

Helen huffed, like she was seriously disappointed she couldn’t go beat someone up. Maybe they were mobsters? Why hadn’t that occurred to him before…. 

“Meagan just has a temper,” Mike explained, pushing aside nightmares of concrete shoes and deep oceans. “Once we have a chance to talk things over, she’ll relax and we can both get on with our own lives.” Mike had to believe that. Or he’d go crazy. Tonight, the weight of what happened would hit him like a bus and he’d lay awake for hours fighting back tears. But for now, he had a household of crazy people to eat Chinese takeout with. 

On queue, his phone chimed again, notifying him that the driver had departed with their food. “Our dinner is on the way,” he said with forced cheer as he waved his phone. 

“Finally!” Caleb jumped up from his seat with Meagan, now wide awake. The two kids looked hungry and excited, while everyone else looked curious and reserved, Miles especially. 

“Mike, help me get some plates out,” Quinn asked. As they passed him, she tugged on his arm and led him towards a row of kitchen cabinets.

As they opened cupboards looking for everything six people needed to eat a mountain of food, Quinn bent down and spoke in hushed tones. “Helen is a foolish woman in many ways, but she never lies or leads people on. She’s taken a liking to you. I suspect you could stay here the rest of your life and she wouldn’t care.”

“Decades? That ridiculous.” Mike said gently. “I just need some time to get back on my feet.”

“So, you don’t have a job anymore either?” Quinn asked, her voice casual but her question loaded. 

“I got fired this morning,” he admitted. 

“Hmm,” she hummed. 

A buzzer sounded. As Mike turned to answer the door, Quinn caught his eye. “And, Mike, rest easy knowing our company, Solstice Digital, is completely legal. I encourage you to research it.”

Mike coughed in surprise but Quinn had already swept past him. How had she known?

As a result of Quinn’s cryptic advice, Miles got to the door before him. He pressed the intercom button and told the delivery guy to come in and which floor to get off on. A few minutes later, a middle aged man gaped at the luxurious penthouse as he unloaded several crates of food from the dolly he’d brought. Based on the delivery guy’s stuttering, Miles had tipped him extremely well. Mike wondered again how they’d prepared the food in such a short time. 

The group took their seats around the table, Helen naturally at the head. Lights flicked on automatically as the sun set, illuminating the room in soft white light. The city lights silhouetted Helen as she lounged at the head of the table. It made her already pale complexion paper-white, contrasting with hair dark enough that it seemed to suck in the light around it. Shining grey eyes with flecks of black pierced Mike, sharp as a scalpel. 

“We appreciate your efforts to guide us. Quinn has told me of your situation and I wish to offer you employment.”

Mike’s mouth fell open, his task of opening all the boxes and tins of food forgotten. Employment? Where? She didn’t know anything about his skills, so how could she offer him a job like it was nothing?

“I am not familiar enough with this branch of our company yet. For now I think housekeeping would suit you.” She continued, oblivious to his shock. 

“Housekeeping? Like… a butler?”

“Call it whatever you prefer,” she shrugged. “We are not from this country and as much as I hate to admit it, no amount of research and lessons can substitute the real thing. My father sent me here to revitalize this regional branch of his company.” Her words turned bitter. He could only assume she hadn’t chosen this assignment. Hecate said through gritted teeth, “I can hardly focus on that when we still need help feeding ourselves. I believe you will serve as an excellent liaison for us, as you have no family or a job, unlike Sarah.”

Her assessment of his life stung but only because it was true. If he had family he could rely on, he’d be sleeping there, not in a stranger’s home. 

“We will pay you well, of course. Miles can work out the details.” She nodded towards the gentleman, who smiled at Mike as if he was an old friend.

Mike returned the smile. “I accept.”

God, he was fucking crazy.


	4. Chapter 4

***

Yuuta glared at the newest additions to their office. The new branch manager glared at her computer while Sarah bent over her and glared at the branch manager. Miles, the assistant manager, typed away on his computer with easy confidence, ignorant of Sarah and Helen’s clashing personalities. He turned to smile at the young man beside him. His assistant Caleb, Yuuta thought.

Caleb’s lithe, delicate frame shook as he laughed at a joke. Yuuta disliked him already. The kid looked barely old enough for college, yet here he was chumming with his boss, the second in command of the entire office, like an old friend and doing nothing useful. They all shared the same last name, Graves, so this kid was probably someone’s cherished nephew. 

Yuuta clenched his fists. He’d worked so hard to get where he was. When Cassie had pulled him aside to let him know she was retiring in two months, he knew what she was implying. George would take her position and Yuuta would be promoted to the Assistant Branch Manager. 

Then, two weeks ago Sarah had announced with no preamble that the CEO of the entire company was sending a new team to revitalize the branch on the heels of Cassie’s retirement. And, to make matters worse, George announced he’d accepted a position at another office, leaving a power vacuum that the newcomers would fill. Helen and Miles Graves and their leeching family members had throughly disrupted Yuuta’s guaranteed promotion 

He barely contained his rage on his commute home that day. 

So, the sight of Miles and his secretary cheerfully discussing something as if this was some kind of social event made Yuuta was to vomit. He opened his email and scanned for something useful. End of day reports from Monday, sales reports from the weekend, email from clients in other time zones. There had to be something— Ah!

He opened an email from the Tokyo branch, requesting a copy of the new org chart for this office and clarification on other staffing changes. Because he spoke and wrote Japanese as fluently, Tokyo routed all their communications through him. He hardly needed upper management’s permission to answer, but why not use this as an excuse to meet their new overlords?

Forwarding the email to Miles, Yuuta stood and strode to the glass wall of the executive suites. The corporate secretaries had their own desks on each side of the room, with two double doors side by side, each leading to a massive office with great views. He’d spent a lot of time in George’s office recently, as the older man prepped him to take over his job. What a joke. 

He knocked then opened the door without waiting for a response. Helen Graves glanced at Yuuta, then focused on her screen again in a blatant disinterest. Sarah opened her mouth and glanced at Helen. 

Then the older gentleman—the new assistant regional manager with the frivolous secretary—smiled. “Mr. Ito? Can I help you?” 

His secretary looked Yuuta up and down then away, as if dismissing him and somehow that made it all the worse. Yuuta was handsome, he knew that. Even straight men appreciated he was above average looking. He wanted to reach out and grasp the man’s chin, _force_ the dark eyed brat with wild hair to look him in the eye. The mental image that sprang to mind made Yuuta’s heart thump. Crap. 

To cover his elevated pulse, Yuuta focused on Miles. “Mr. Graves, if you look at your inbox, you’ll see I just forwarded you an email from our Tokyo branch requesting clarification on our new employee organization. I think a brief meeting is the best way to address their questions.”

A lie. A simple email reply was all they needed, but did Miles know that? 

The man gave Yuuta a probing glance and a half smile, like he’d seen through the lie before Yuuta had even finished speaking. Yuuta frowned, waiting for Miles to chastise him. 

Instead, Miles just smiled wider and nodded. “I believe we have a meeting in a few minutes, but once it is completed, we shall schedule a teleconference with the Tokyo branch.”

The branch manager looked up from Sarah’s computer and groaned. “Another meeting? Of course!” 

Her casual attitude towards the office chafed Yuuta almost as much as Caleb’s blasé expression. Yes, they weren’t the most profitable office in the North American organization, far from it. But they deserved the same respect as anyone else. Besides, how was this new group supposed to help anyone if they didn’t seem to care in the first place. 

To his credit, Miles did give the woman a scolding look. Helen looked down her nose but said nothing. Clearly, Miles should have been given the higher position. She must be daddy’s little princess, just like the rumor going around the office. 

“We should be going,” Sarah said. She’d been an excellent assistant to Cassie and was probably just doing her best with this interloper. 

They filed into Helen’s executive office. Caleb was the last one in and as he shut the door, he squinted at Yuuta. Yuuta tried to keep his face blank. What a brat.

***

Mike stood in the center of the dining table and marveled at just how much of a mess five adults could leave behind. A mountain of white cartons, stacks of discarded plates, dozens of chopsticks littered the surface. They’d all picked up and used the chopsticks like it was second nature. Whatever their story, no one seemed eager to talk about it and Mike didn’t want to ask. They hardly knew each other. 

Helen’s offer from the night before rang in his ears. Butler, eh? 

“I mean, it’s better than being homeless until Meagan answers her damn phone,” he spoke to the empty room. 

For what felt like the twentieth time that morning, Mike checked for messages or missed calls. Nothing. After calling Meagan twice in a row, in case she had it on do not disturb, then texting her a neutral _can we talk soon? have some things to work out,_ he’d given up. He refused to be one of those exes who called fifty times in a day.

No one from the office had messaged him. Apparently he was forgettable and somehow that hurt his pride as much as Meagan’s cheating. 

He hauled the stainless steel trash can close to the table and started filling it with discarded Chinese food. To his complete shock, they _had_ finished the entire order in two meals. They weren’t obese or body builders, so where the heck were they putting all that food?

In his pocket, his phone buzzed. Mike’s heart clenched as he fumbled to get it out, only to groan when he saw the caller ID. It was Kyle. He answered. 

“Hey, Kyle, what’s up?”

“WHAT!” Kyle shouted and Mike yanked the phone away from his ear. “What do you mean ‘hey what’s up?’ Heather told me what happened. That fucking bastard stabbed you in the back! How are you holding up? Was Meagan super pissed?”

Shit. He didn’t know yet. Well, of course he didn’t. It’s not like Mike had updated his status or anything. 

“She’d pissed alright, but not because of that. I—”

“She cheated on you, didn’t she.” It wasn’t a question. 

“Wha—” 

“Heather suspected. Of course, she didn’t tell me this until last night after Heather texted. I was pretty pissed.”

Shit. Had this somehow managed to ruin his friend’s relationship to? Besides, how would Heather know? She’d met Megan once or twice, if that. 

“Are you two ok?”

“Huh? Yea. I wasn’t mad _at_ her, just frustrated. But her reasoning was sound. She was too embarrassed that she’d passed judgement on her fiancé’s best friend’s girlfriend after just meeting her. She has a great eye for people but lacks confidence. Fuck. When she didn’t say anything I thought that’s because she _approved_.”

Some part of Mike wanted to read Heather the riot act but honestly, he would have done the same. It wouldn’t have felt like any of his business at best, and deliberately hurtful at worst. 

Mike sighed. “It’s fine. I get it and appreciate her concern. Wait— Fiance? Does that mean you popped the question? I thought you were waiting for the 4th?!”

On the other end of the line, Kyle groaned. “Yea, that was the plan but, uh, she found the ring.”

“Wow,” Mike gasped in mock shock, “you suck at hiding gifts now as much as you did when we were kids.”

One time Kyle had asked him to get something out the same closet where he’d left Mike’s Christmas present, smack in the middle of the shelf, already wrapped and addressed. 

“Actually, I’m impressed you hid it this long!” Kyle had purchased the ring two months ago. 

“Shut up!” Kyle snapped but Mike could hear him smiling over the phone and pang of vicious jealousy made his stomach flip. “But that’s not important,” he continued. “What did Meagan do? She can get pretty crazy.”

“Well, obviously I left.”

“And…?”

Damn, Kyle knew him too well. 

“She cancelled our credit card.”

“Bitch. But you have that other one, right?”

“Uh… the bank closed it last month due to inactivity.”

“WHAT?” Kyle shouted. Mike had to pull the phone away again. “Where are you staying? Why didn’t you come over?”

“Dude, how could I? You were proposing soon, and who knows how long Meagan will stay mad. I can’t crash on your couch while you plan your wedding.”

“You’re crazy. Of course you could.” He paused to grind his teeth. “Where are you staying? You never carry cash. You’re not sleeping on the streets, are you?”

“Uh, no.”

“Did you find some lonely widow who needs company?” Kyle sounded like he was more serious then joking.

“Sort of…?”

“What the f— Ok, enough.” Kyle’s voice turned to ice. “Where are you?”

Mike’s heart sank. He’d really wanted to avoid this. “You have work….”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll fake food poisoning. Where. Are. You.”

Mike gave him the address of the Starbucks across the street from the apartment.

“Meet me in half an hour. No excuses.” Kyle hung up.

***

Thirty-five minutes later his best friend stormed into the cafe like a whirlwind. He didn’t even order. 

“Tell me about this old lady you’re seducing. And what the hell are you wearing?” Kyle said loud enough for the entire cafe to hear.

“Order something first, you jerk.” Mike waved his hands towards the embarrassed barista.

Kyle gave him the finger and ordered his favorite, an iced americano, as well as Mike’s summer favorite, an iced cold brew with light ice. Kyle drank cold stuff even in the dead of winter but Mike preferred to change with the weather. 

The barista must have sensed the man’s agitation, because she made the drinks in record time. Mike sipped on his coffee and braced himself for an interrogation. 

“She’s not an old lady and I’m not seducing her. And these are sweat pants I borrowed from the people I’m staying with.”

“Explain.” You could always tell when Kyle was mad. He resorted to one syllable sentences. 

“Did Carl or Ben tell you about the crazy people I helped out a few days ago?”

“The immigrants? Yea, Carl told me. You’re too nice for your own good.”

“I’m not sure their living here or just visiting, but close enough. They’re not from this country, that’s for sure. They didn’t know how to eat a burrito.”

“Who the fuck doesn’t know how to eat a burrito?” Kyle snorted and his drink bubbled. 

“That’s not important! Anyways, the, uh, leader, I guess, offered me a reward for helping them get some food. I took her up on her offer after Meagan cancelled the card.”

“Offer?”

“I’m their housekeeper for a little while.”

And Kyle didn’t have anything to say to that. His mouth dropped open.

“It’s fine,” Mike rushed into damage control. “They seem like nice people. Insanely rich and really weird, but nice. I don’t think I’ll be sold to a sex trafficker or anything.”

“Dude.”

“I know, I know. It was the best I could do.”

“What’s the address, let’s go get your shit and go home. Please.” Kyle’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears. Mike couldn’t refuse that look. It rivaled puppy dogs!

“Fine. We’ll go now and— shit.”

“What now!”

Mike patted his wallet in his pocket, like it would make a difference. “I don’t have a keycard for the building. And I don’t know their numbers.”

***

Kyle opted to go back to work after all, leaving Mike with strict orders not to move from their table. Unlike Mike, Kyle’s boss was a nice guy who would understand erratic behavior during a crisis. If they worked in the same field, he’d totally bum a job off his friend. But software programmer and marketing director didn’t overlap much.

For the next several hours, he played phone games. Kyle had shoved a twenty in his hands and ordered him to get a sandwich and another drink before stomping out. Mike glanced at his phone’s clock. Five pm. The Graves were probably on their way home. He texted Kyle, telling him the apartment was across the street, and left the cafe to wait on the same park bench he’d almost spent the night on before. He didn’t even have much in the penthouse, but he had to return Miles’ clothes. 

Twenty minutes later, Kyle arrived and they waited together. Another half an hour and his new employers strolled up to the building like they owned it. 

Wait. Did they own it?

“Who is this man?” Helen came to a stop and examined Kyle. Kyle puffed out his chest and glared back. The haughty, teetering-on-the-edge-of-violence woman from the first night was back. Mike hadn’t realized until he saw Helen size Kyle up just how differently she’d treated him the night before.

“I’m his best friend. I came to let you know Mike is going to move out. He won’t be working here anymore.” To his credit, Kyle didn’t back down. 

“No.” She responded, calm as an arctic sea, one eyebrow arched.

“You—” Kyle’s body language screamed run away but his voice remained firm. She was scaring him, Mike realized. 

“Kyle, relax. Can we just go inside.” He looked to Helen for permission, because it seemed like the natural thing to do. 

She nodded and opened the door for them. Miles hung back. 

“I apologize, Mike. It slipped my mind to lend you a keycard or give you our numbers. I will have one made for you right away.

True to his word, Miles split off from the group and headed towards the office. 

The rest of them ascended in the elevator. Kyle did his best not to look star struck when they stepped out into the penthouses’s private foyer. In the elevator, he squeezed into the farthest corner away from Helen.

“You weren’t kidding,” he whispered. “These guys are loaded. Why don’t they have, like, twenty people working here?”

Mike paused. He’d never considered that. It’s not like they couldn’t afford it. “Maybe they’re just very private people.”

Kyle scoffed. “So private they hire a complete stranger as their butler? Please, dude.”

Meagan held the door open for them. “Please, sit down.” Her full lips curved in an innocent smile and her dark eyes sparkled with concern. Mike felt some of his tension drain away. 

He led Kyle to the couch and pushed him into a sitting position, then sat down as well. Kyle’s eyed almost bulged out of his sockets when he noticed the balcony pool.

“You did a passable job cleaning up.” Helen examined the table. 

Before being ordered out the house by his best friend, Mike had managed to throw the trash out and give the table a quick wipe down. 

“Uh, thanks.” He wasn’t sure she was being passive aggressive or genuinely appreciative. Various degrees of anger seemed Helen’s primary emotion.

Kyle tried to stand again but Mike yanked his back down. “Look, lady, he’s not some kind of maid. I don’t care how much you pay him, this isn’t the kind of work he should be doing.”

Helen raised one thin, dark eyebrow again. Mike felt Kyle shrink back into the couch. “Have you asked him what work he shall do? Or are you his master?”

“You made him clean the kitchen!” Kyle refused back down even though he was clearly terrified. Mike didn’t deserve a friend like him. 

“No, I paid him to clean the kitchen.”

“Oh, really. Mike, have you seen a single penny from this crazy idiots?”

At that moment, the door lock beeped and Miles let himself in, carrying a piece of paper and two plastic cards. He handed the bundle to Mike. 

“A key to the lobby, and to our apartment. And all our cell phone numbers.”

“Thanks.”

“Maybe you can answer this, sir,” Kyle ground out, eager to talk to someone other than Helen. “You claim he’s an employee. So, have you paid him?”

“Ah, no. We have not.” Miles replied, but he looked unperturbed. 

“See!” Kyle mumbled in Helen’s general direction. She was looking out the window, ignoring him. 

“I was under the impression there were some issues with the administration of Mike’s accounts. It seemed imprudent to give him cash.” Miles said evenly.

“What if he needed to go out and buy something? If you knew he was in trouble, why did you leave him with nothing?”

Again, Miles kept his seemingly boundless composure. “We had no way of knowing he would leave the apartment today. I must admit we were not expecting guests and many things slipped our mind this morning. You must forgive us, Mr…?”

“Smith.” Mike supplied after a pause made it clear Kyle didn’t want to answer. 

“Mr. Smith.” Miles acted like Kyle hadn’t just stonewalled him. “I apologize for our rash treatment of your good friend. We only recently arrived and I am ashamed to admit we’ve been a bit scatter brained since. I cannot assist in your account issues, Mike, but I can at least remedy the issue of cash, if you are comfortable carrying it.”

“Uh, yea, I’ll be careful.” Mike nodded.

Miles opened up his wallet and pulled out two one hundred dollar bills. Even after spending a fortune on take out, the man was still loaded. He handed the money to Mike, his face neutral. Kyle gaped. Mike thought he saw the corner of Mile’s mouth twitch up in a smug smile. 

“Does that satisfy you, Mr. Smith?” Helen said as she turned back around. Unlike Miles, she did not bother to hide her self-congratulatory expression.

“For now,” he shot back, feeling a little braver as her anger ebbed. 

“Now that we’ve dealt with that, Mr. Smith, would you like to join us for dinner?” Miles made a welcoming gesture with his hands.

Kyle looked between Mike, who smiled encouragingly, and Miles, who smiled non-threateningly. He shrugged. Helen pinned Kyle with her silver eyes and eventually he nodded. Did she want him to come along?

“Fine.” He snapped, “where are we going?”

“I did some research today,” Quinn stepped into the conversation. She waved her phone around. “I found several well-reviewed places within walking distance. In particular, the bar we attempted to enter several days ago. Since Sarah has delivered our personal effects, we can now legally enter.”

“So, that sounds as good as any place,” Mile paused to look at Meagan and Caleb. “Are you both over 21? They can’t let us in if anyone is under age.”

Caleb snorted and Meagan’s liquid gold eyes sparkled. Quinn shook her head like a doting but frustrated aunt. “We are all of age, I assure you, Mike.”

Something had just happened, though he wasn’t sure what. Mike dismissed it and focused on the current task. “Ok, good. They won’t be too busy on a Tuesday evening, so we’ll have our pick of seating. Come on.” He tried to exude confidence as he stood and strode towards the door. To his surprise, everyone followed. 

No one spoke during the short walk. Thankfully Ben wasn’t working that day, so they showed their IDs without issue and picked a big U-shaped booth in the back. Mulligans had great beer and great bar food.

“I recommend the burgers,” Mike offered to the table.

“Feel free to order for all of us,” Mile said with a smile. 

“Rare, please,” Caleb winked.

“For all of us,” Helen commanded.

Miles nodded and smiled as Jessica stepped up to their table with her notebook. She took their orders before bouncing back to the kitchen. She’d given Caleb several long glances, even flashing him a secretive look before sashaying away. Caleb had returned the expression with a seductive wink. The table sat in utter silence as they waited for their food. No one seemed willing to break the ice first. Twenty minutes later, Jessica plonked two medium well burgers, and five very rare burgers onto the table and created a conversation opening.

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” Miles said after savoring a bite of his meal, “what can we do to fully assuage your concerns, Mr. Smith?”

Before Kyle could respond, a familiar voice cut across the quiet buzz of the restaurant. 

“Mike? Is that you?”

His stomach clenched and threatened to bring the only bite of his burger out for an encore. 

None other than Meagan stepped up to his table, wearing a loose tank top with a bright teal sports bra and black athletic leggings. Mike was suddenly very conscious of the fact that his own clothes were baggy and bland. 

Meagan’s eyes locked with Helen’s. He hadn’t noticed until now, but the pale woman had inched her way closer to him as they’d waited for their meal. Now she loomed over him almost protectively and gave Meagan a predatory look. 

“Who the fuck is she?” Meagan’s voice had raised an octave the way it did when she was really, really pissed off.

Before anyone could respond, Mike’s own temper snapped. 

“Are you serious, Meg? You’ve been screwing that guy for how long? And you have the balls to ask who some random woman is when we’re obviously having a _group_ meal?”

“Screwing him? You left before I could even explain, you ass!” Meagan shrieked. 

Miles winced and Mike realized just how awkward this was for everyone else at the table. Kyle’s narrowed eyes flashed between Mike and Helen. When Kyle saw her own calculating look, they shared some kind of unknown connection and he nodded. 

Helen stood. “Why don’t we all take this somewhere quiet? You have disrupted our new hire dinner a great deal already.”

Kyle stood too. “Like hell I’m letting you talk to him without me there.”

Meagan sputtered but couldn’t stop the tidal wave that was his new boss and his friend. Kyle led the four of them through the back door and out the alley behind the building.

***

Hecate examined the source of Mike’s strife. Her shoulder length brown hair bobbed as she stalked behind Mike and Kyle. Soft, comfortable clothing hugged over her toned, petite frame. The tight bra under her tank top suggested a naturally full bust with artfully tanned skin. A beautiful woman, in a classical sense, and one who knew it. Hecate contemplated her own body, overly muscled and flat chested, and scoffed. Lizi beat out this woman in terms of looks, but Lizi was a child and her cousin, so it was easy not to feel self conscious. Unlike this Meagan woman. Helen disliked her immensely, and not all for selfish reasons.

Mike’s friend halted outside the hefty door and kicked a worn rock into the jamb to keep the door open a few inches. He crossed his arms and glared at Mike’s ex-partner. “What the hell do you want?”

She threw up her arms. “Ugh! Nothing! I was just trying to get some dinner when I saw Mike enjoying some kind of party like nothing was wrong. Of course I’d be curious who he’d rebounded with so _quickly_. Pretty suspicious, you’ve got to admit.”

Hecate paused, waiting for Mike to step in. He remained silent, staring into the distance, mouth half open. A dully, aching pain flickered in his expression. Kyle drew in a breath, ready to launch his own verbal assault, but Hecate decided now was the time to step in. 

“I assume you are referring to me? You are implying he was unfaithful as well, yes?”

“I— uh…” She mumbled, unprepared for someone to call her on her assumptions directly. Megan made the mistake of backing up a step. 

Hecate licked her lips, exhilarated at her preys sudden realization this was a serious situation. “I can assure you the first time I met Mr. Harris is when he guided us Sunday evening. The next was Monday night, when he asked for a job and a place to stay. A situation I believe you put him in, yes? I provided both, as we are in need of a housekeeper.”

“A housekeeper?” The woman sputtered. “Mike, is she telling the truth?” Meagan turned to him at last, her eyes misty. Hecate honestly couldn’t tell if the woman was manipulating him or genuinely worried for his well being. She wasn’t good at reading people. Unless she was facing them on the battlefield, of course. 

Mike drew in a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “Yes. Yeah, it’s true. I’m working for them while they get used to a new city. I can’t get a hotel because a certain someone cancelled my card, so I have to live somewhere.”

“Kyle! Why didn’t you let him stay with you? I thought you were a better friend.” Meagan redirected.

“Really, bitch?” Kyle’s tone was pure venom. “I would have, except Mike’s a better guy than you’ll ever know. He didn’t want to get in the way of my proposal coming up. Or did you forget that was happening too? No big deal, I guess, just your fiancé’s closest friend getting married. Whatever, am I right?”

“You can’t expect me to keep track of all his friends and their partners, now can you, Kyle?”

Kyle barked a laugh. “That’s a joke, right? He doesn’t _have_ close friends other than me. But I guess caring about even one part of his life was just too much work for a fake tan bitch like you.”

“How dare you—”

Helen squinted at the woman’s bare shoulders curiously. Her tan was fake? The human world was a strange place. No, don’t get distracted! While this squabble was providing her with all sorts of new phrases and mannerisms, her meal was getting cold. 

“That is enough,” she spoke under her breath, in the voice she used when she demanded obedience. Kyle and Meagan stopped advancing on each other like ally cats. “Mike,” Hecate turned to her human employee and noted his face was pale and pinched. “Do you have anything to say to this woman?”

Silence. Megan’s eyes watered, as if she expected some kind of apology. Hecate barely suppressed a snort. 

“No,” he said at last. 

“Mike! Wait!”

“Meagan, I suggest you find another place to dine tonight.” Hecate flipped open her wallet and shoved a fifty dollar bill into the woman’s trembling hand. The ploy worked. Before she could muster up any sort of protest, the three of them slipped back into the kitchen and Kyle kicked the rock away and pulled the door shut with dull clang. 

When they returned to their seats, Coyote was gone and their server had switched out to a young man. Hecate chuckled at her young cousin’s carefree virility. She had denied him that chance outside the burrito truck, after all. He had earned it and they were close to home.

As she sat down, she turned to Thoth. “Take the day off tomorrow and help Mike open a new bank account.”


	5. Chapter 5

  


***

Mike sat in the chair in front of the banker and tried to control his twitching leg. The banker looked at Quinn with an almost glazed expression as he went through the motions to open an account under Mike’s name. Mike had a sinking feeling he knew what was coming next.

“And for the final piece,” the middle-aged man said, “how much will you be putting into this new account?”

“I believe fifty thousand will serve as an ample singing bonus.” Quinn shrugged. She turned to Mike and pulled a face, eyes twinkling, “our boss is not an easy woman to work with, after all.”

Mike wanted to melt into the carpet when the banker’s eyes widened. 

“Quinn, that’s way too much. Helen isn’t that bad, really.”

“Hmm,” she responded. “And that is why you are the perfect partner. She gave me the authority to pay you what I thought was fair. If it makes you feel better, you can fund your room’s remodel on your own.”

Partner was a weird way to put it but he let it go in favor of the more pressing matter. She wasn’t going to back down. Mike groaned. “Ok, deal. But I need some kind of employment contract or this is going to make the government really suspicious.”

“Oh? I believe Miles can draft something in his spare time.” But Quinn said it like the government didn’t really concern her at all.

***

Yuuta seethed. Caleb’s cavalier attitude was worse this morning then the last. He sauntered in with a fancy blended drink and a dangerously flirty smile. He’d probably gotten laid last night. Wait, wait was he thinking about that? Yuuta swore under his breath. He hated people like that. Flaunting their looks and friendly personality, completely obvious to the socially inept who struggled to make it in a world designed for socialites. 

Miles glanced up from his seat in front of Caleb’s computer and Yuuta did not like one bit. It was the look of a snake. 

Miles turned to speak with Caleb, who pulled a face and left his position behind his boss’s chair. He’d practically been falling over the older man, they were so physically close. 

To his surprise, Caleb walked out of the suite door and straight towards him. 

“Miles said I should help you with that Tokyo meeting. Sorry we never got to it yesterday.”

In all honesty, the meeting he’d threatened had slipped his mind entirely as the day had ramped up. “He’s not attending?” Yuuta snapped. “Does a kid like you even know Japanese?”

Caleb puffed up like a scared mouse and pouted. “I know _all_ the languages spoken in our major branches.”

Yuuta took a moment to be impressed before pushing onward. “It doesn’t matter if you know the language, assuming that’s even true. You’re just a secretary.” His patience was fraying and he advanced a step on the young man, letting some of his frustration bleed into his words.

Caleb’s expression faltered. He fell back a half step and drew in a shallow breath. Yuuta realized he’d scared the kid. And yet, something about Caleb’s wide eyed expression and parted lips made Yuuta want to push him even further. 

Then his phone chimed, reminding him their meeting was in five minutes. “Let’s go,” Yuuta growled and he whirled away and down the hall. 

At first he wasn’t sure Caleb would follow him or head straight to HR, but a strange burst of relief filled his chest when Yuuta heard soft footsteps following behind. He took a seat the conference table. Caleb sat opposite to him and refused to meet his gaze. They waited in silence for a few minutes until the conference phone rang and Yuuta answered. True to his word, Caleb conversed with the reps at the Japanese branch like he spoke the language every day. He answered questions competently and promptly with perfect honorifics and accent. 

But, never once did Caleb meet Yuuta’s gaze. 

***

It turned out that despite their massive appetites, the Graves were tidy people. Mike ran out of things to do after half a day, short of sanitizing every single surface. Since Meagan seemed unlikely to let him back into the apartment anytime soon, he had nothing to pass the time with. 

Then again… they’d given him fifty thousand dollars. Except for the game saves or other documents on his personal computer, he could afford to replace every time he owned several times over. The bland decor of the guest room didn’t bother him, so it’s not like he needed to reserve anything for remodeling. 

Well, he didn’t want to be _too_ wasteful, but the new slim PS5 and a few pairs of jeans and t-shirts wouldn’t hurt, right? Meagan may have already trashed his old dinosaur of the original release PS5 for all he knew. And the Graves did have a massive TV in main living room. It had to be 80 inches or more, though he’d never seen him use it. 

Mind made up, Mike triple checked that he had his new keycards for the building before departing. He caught a ride share using his new debit card and headed towards the nearest mall. 

Soon, he stood at the entrance of a shopping center, feeling like a lost child. Was it really alright for him to act as if nothing had happened? To wander around stores spending money as if he wasn’t living with a shady rich family after losing his job and girlfriend. Quinn had explained to him before entering the bank that all residents of the penthouse were distant relatives and shared a last name. He hadn’t had the courage to ask her just how they were related and she’d offered no explanation. 

Still, for some reason he couldn’t rationalize, Mike felt safe around the family. They were strange, but also earnest and open, though Quinn obviously enjoyed her mystery. But even that wasn’t malicious, just playful. 

As Mike browsed the clothing aisles at one of the large anchor stores of the mall, not really looking for anything in particular, he considered all the Graves. 

Because she’d opened the bank account for him, he’d spent the most time with Quinn. She’d chatted with him about this and that, never focusing on one topic for long, with a sort of droll curiosity on all things American. 

Caleb and Meagan seemed joined at hip, always sharing deep conversation or inside jokes. This past day, Caleb had seemed particularly agitated and the youngest two had hardly said a word to anyone but each other. When they did interact with the others, Caleb played the class clown, with Meagan as a gentle, kind straight woman. 

Miles acted as the patriarch of the family in almost every way. He looked to Helen for her permission, true, but Mike quickly realized that most of the time he asked out of token respect, not because he thought she would offer any opinion. This didn’t bother Helen at all. She seemed content to let Miles do whatever he pleased, seemingly trusting his judgement in all matters. In fact, Mike had never seen Helen veto a single thing Miles had said. 

And then there was Helen… She obviously called the final shots, despite how much older Miles was. He looked middle aged but fit, no more than fifty. Helen, on the other hand, couldn’t be more than early thirties, similar to Mikes own thirty two years. 

She captivated and scared him in equal measure. Twice he’d seen her turn almost feral, like Red Sonya of Conan fame. No, even Conan’s feminine counterpart didn’t match up. Helen was more like an Conan himself, enraged and unafraid of conflict. Despite her obvious comfort with violence, Helen was a simple, bossy woman who liked food, getting her way, and not learning anything new. Not like a spoiled princess, more like someone who was completely comfortable with herself, not questioning a single thing. She oozed confidence to the point that Mike had to look away at times. 

It almost made him jealous. She knew what she wanted at any given moment and pursued it until she acquired it. Mike was good at his job, comfortable with his intelligence and skills, but he’d never been someone who could stand up in front of a room and argue his strengths or point of view. He belonged behind the curtains.

“Uh, excuse me, Mike?” 

Mike jumped as a soft female voice cut off his brooding. He whirled around and saw none other than Meagan. Her brows were furrowed in concern. 

“Meagan! Are you ok?” Mike squinted at her pinched face. Meagan instantly relaxed. 

“Oh, yes! I was worried about you, Mike. You seemed so frustrated just now.”

Mike felt his ears tingle in embarrassment. “It’s nothing, I was just thinking about… Well, I was thinking about Helen.”

What? Where had that come from? He’d meant to lie, say he was trying to pick out clothes or where to eat for lunch. 

Meagan’s face split into one of her dazzling smiles, white teeth gleaming. Her genuine warmth washed over him, brown eyes sparkling as she gave him a teasing look. “She is fascinating lady, isn’t she?”

“I— uh…” His ears started to burn in earnest. “Yea, she is.” He sighed in defeat. Meagan seemed like a wonderful person, not someone to gossip. “She’s just so sure of herself. Like nothing in the world would ever confuse her. Except for a burrito.” He couldn’t stop his chuckle as he remembered her trying to eat the whole thing, foil and all. “I guess there is something she’s not one hundred percent on, eh?”

Meagan giggled. “Helen was _so_ upset about that, you have no idea. I don’t know if she’ll ever eat a burrito again. It reminded of my mother’s food.”

At the mention of her mother, Mike’s ears perked up. This was the first time any of the Graves had offered personal information on themselves. 

“Is your mom here too?” He ventured.

“No,” Meagan shook her head and gave a wry smile. “She was very much against me going on this trip but Helen convinced her. I’m so glad. My mother is… Well, she’s a wonderful person but over protective. If she had her way, I’d stay at home until I got married, then stay home in my husbands realm, making babies left and right.”

“That sounds frustrating.” Mike felt like he’d just bullied information out of her. He ignored her weird use of the word “realm.” 

“Don’t feel bad, Mike.” Meagan laid her delicate, long fingered hand on his shoulder. “You asked a simple question and I happily answered.”

How did she always know what he was thinking? “Ok…” He struggled to find a way to keep the conversation going. “Hey, have you had lunch yet?”

“Don’t you need to finish your shopping?” Meagan glanced at his empty hands. 

“Naw, I’m not finding anything I like here, so let’s take a break and I’ll somewhere else once I get some food in me.”

“Sounds good.” The young woman bounced on the balls of her feet, something he’d seen Caleb do too, and gestured with one hand. “Lead the way!”

They picked their way out of the cramped aisles of the department store and headed for the food court. Typical mall fare but oddly nostalgic. This place had undergone two significant remodels since he was a kid, but the layout was the same. Mike remembered visiting here with his mom and Kyle after school, salivating over cheap teriyaki chicken and the newest video game. 

Meagans hand clamped around his upper arm like a vice. She yanked him back with brute force. “Mike, stay back.”

He panicked. Was there a shooter somewhere? A robbery? But as he scanned the food court filled with dozens of families eating their meals, nothing stood out. 

Nevertheless, Meagan ordered, “we need to leave. Oh, shit—“

Mike followed her gaze to a couple a few tables away from them. Tears streamed down the woman’s face. The man across from her, presumably the boyfriend, looked ready to punch his dining partner. Two burgers sat on red trays, still wrapped. One of their soft drinks had tipped over, leaking yellow, fizzing liquid onto the floor. 

He started to tell Meagan to relax, the two were just arguing, when the entire room darkened and drained of color. Everyone except the couple, himself, and Meagan, turned into blobby shadows, fuzzing in and out like static on an old fashioned TV. And behind the man was a—

“Fuck!” He shouted, louder than he’d intended. 

No two ways about it, the thing behind the boyfriend wasn’t human. Human _oid_ sure, but not a person. It loomed above him, a black, fleshy figure towering at eight or nine feet. While it had a head, it lacked any facial features, just a gaping hole where eyes, a nose, and a mouth should be. 

The monster turned as Mike yelled and he felt his stomach clench. Deep inside the head hole was a spiraling row of teeth, like a sarlak from Star Wars or sand worm from Dune. Unlike the movies and books, these teeth were no special effect.

“Mike! RUN!” Meagan screamed and she pulled on his arm again. The monster turned and crouched, ready to chase. Mike felt a sickening popping in his shoulder and a wave of pain that would have stopped him in his tracks, had Meagan not been dragging him along. 

“Metztli, stop.” 

Mike felt relief fill him to the bone as he recognized Helen’s presence. Up to now his and Meagan’s voices and the ambient sounds of a mall sounded tinny and far away.

But her voice rang out like a crack of thunder, authoritative but calming at the same time, clearing the air. Hecate’s tone said _listen, obey, and be safe._ Even through the pain, Mike’s muscles relaxed a fraction. Mall sounds faded into the distance and Meagan’s next words were clear. 

“Hecate!” Meagan shouted, skidding to a halt. Mike almost flipped over her. How the hell was the petite Megan stronger than a damn body builder?

“Take him, Mormo,” Helen ordered. Hecate? Mormo Were those nicknames? It sounded familiar for some reason.

Suddenly Miles was on his uninjured side, pulling him to his feet. Mike’s eyes refocused and he gasped. The monster hung in the air, trapped by crackling purple lightening. It squirmed but made no sound. 

Before them Helen stood, her business casual clothes replaced by a pair of leather pants, a merlot corset with shiny metal bones cinched over a flowing peasant top. Straight hair fanned out on her back, shimmering like a black diamond. 

She looked over her shoulder. Mike’s breath caught. Helen’s eyes were heather, he knew that. But the face that looked back at him wasn’t human. Unlike the monster, she was… well, she was beautiful. Gone were the pedestrian grey of her irises, replaced by mercury, swirling and flashing like they had a life of their own. They were fever bright, her lips taught with a feral smile. 

“It seems your introduction will come sooner than expected. Stay, if you wish.” And she turned back. 

Miles helped him step back several paces. “Do you wish to watch? She is a sight to behold in battle. Many would be honored to see her in combat.”

“W— Watch?” Mike stammered.

“Yes. Watch her dispatch the Ego.”

“E— Ego?” 

“Oh, just have him stay, Mormo. It will simplify things later.” Quinn appeared on Mike’s other side. She shared an unknowable look with older man and he nodded. They both refocused on Helen, as if watching a sports match. 

“She doesn’t have a weapon—“ No sooner had Mike spoken then the air around Helen’s hands sparkled. With a snapping sound, two sickles appeared, one in each hand. The blades sparkled like faceted opal, the handles wrapped with black leather and set with what looked like chunks of unrefined silver. She flicked her wrists and each weapon spun up into air. Her stance changed and she caught the sickles again, knees bent, arms loose, shoulders straight. 

“Interesting,” Quinn mused, “she must be trying to show off.”

Mike had no idea what she meant. Miles chuckled but didn’t reply. 

The lightning surrounding the monster vanished and it fell to the ground. The thing, an Ego Miles had called it, roared and charged. It was several dozen feet away and closing fast, but Helen stood firm, almost lackadaisical. Mike repressed the urge to scream out to her. 

The Ego stepped within two feet of her. Her blades swung as they sliced a wide arc in front of her, one going right, the other left. The monster’s scream gurgled and faded and Mike struggled not to vomit. 

She’d cut the thing in three pieces. 

With a wet plop, the Ego fell apart and sizzled on the tile floor like frying meat. Helen stared at the slain enemy for a moment, shrugged, and opened her hands. Instead of falling to the ground, her weapons simply winked out of existence. She turned back towards them. 

“Your shoulder!” Mike, suddenly heedless of his own pain, tried to twist out of Miles’ gentle support. Thick red blood dribbled down Helen’s arm. He hadn’t seen the monster’s attack connect, but her left sleeve was shredded, revealing a gaping wound just above her elbow. 

“That was sloppy,” Quinn said through a snigger.

“Quinn!” Mike snapped. How could she talk to her friend like that. Helen was _bleeding._

But Helen looked just as unconcerned. She glanced down at the wound and sighed. “I did like this shirt,” was all she had to say on the matter. 

Something deflated in Mike and the world went black. He heard someone’s voice shouting “Mike!” Then he lost consciousness. 

***

“That was not what we’d planned…” Miles used that offhand, casual tone he only adopted when he was scolding her. 

Hecate huffed. “What was I supposed to do? The sickles were closest at hand. I wasn’t prepared for a skirmish.”

“He doesn’t mean your wound,” Thoth pointed out, “he means how Mike found out the truth.”

“Who’s to say he’ll remember?” Meagan murmured. 

“Do we _want_ him to forget?” Thoth shot back.

They all looked at their princess. 

She contemplated it. Thoth could alter his memories. Make him forget about the Ego’s attack… and her slaying of it. Something about erasing his memory her in fighting form bothered Hecate too much to put into words. 

“What’s the point?” She shrugged. “We had always planned to tell him, had we not?”

Mormo knew she was bullshitting but said nothing. They had not planned anything of the sort but to say otherwise would be to directly contradict her. 

“If you say so.” As always, Thoth called Hecate on anything and everything, walking the fine line between honesty and insubordination. 

“I do.” Hecate resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The perk of being a princess was one could change one’s mind and no one would argue. 

“Now, will you let me clean the wound?” Lizi breathed a dramatic sigh and waved her medicine bag around. The goddess was a gifted healer. In fact, that was the argument Hecate had used to haggle with Lizi’s mother about letting her daughter out of her sight. 

Hecate plopped onto the couch and waved her hands. “Proceed.” 

Lizi got to work, wiping away the blood and sappy infection all of Entropy’s troops inflicted. A devil of Hecate’s stature could process massive amounts of poison before it negatively affected her. Still, no sense in stressing her body more than needed. 

The sound of a door opening made the devils turn their head towards the balcony. Mike stumbled out of his room, hair standing up in a classic case of bed head. He rubbed his eyes and took in the scene below him. 

Mormo was already taking the stairs two at a time to help Mike shuffle down to the living area. The human’s arm rested in a sling. Poor Lizi had almost burst into tears when she’d realized she’d dislocated the man’s arm. 

Indeed, Lizi stood abruptly and rushed to Mike, leaving Hecate’s wound half dressed. The princess’s mouth dropped open and Quinn chuckled. 

“Mike! Oh, Mike, I’m so sorry. Let me apply some more poultice, something to ease the swelling! Wait, no, a potion would be better. I’ll just start that now— Oh, wait I don’t have everything need yet, we still—“

Hecate wrestled with an unfamiliar feeling that set her teeth on edge. Lizi was fawning over Mike like he was a wounded family pet. 

“Lizi, perhaps you should finish your original task before our princess takes your head?” Thoth suggested, her voice laced with dry humor. 

“Ah!” Lizi spun back around, looking like a guilty child. 

Hecate _tched_ and gave the young goddess her best haughty royal look. 

As their healer returned to her original patient, Hecate assessed the human. He looked in pain, but that wasn’t important. Instead, Hecate searched his face for something far more important: fear. 

And, to her utter shock, she found none. 

Mike looked at her with trepidation and concern, not terror. He seemed riveted by her wound. 

“Are you going to be ok?” His voice trembled. 

How cute, Hecate thought. 

“Of course. This is a mere flesh wound, but Lizi wanted to do her best regardless. And you?”

She felt Lizi flinch when Hecate mentioned his shoulder.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he replied hastily, more to Lizi than to her. 

Hecate ground her teeth together. “Then you wouldn’t object to taking a seat while we explain, I presume.”

He sat on the long couch and waited. 

Mormo sat opposite in a plush armchair and folded his hands on his lap. “As you have guessed, Mike, we are not human beings.”

Their human disguises had faded in the between world, so each devil looked as they should. 

Lizi’s skin bore the gold shimmer passed down from her mother. Her hair was the color of burned wheat, its tips shaped like miniature sheafs. 

Thoth stood several inches taller than before, her eyes reverted to their golden owl slits, her ears pointed. 

Mormo and Hecate looked similar, of course, both lanky, pale, silver eyed, and black haired. Compared to other bloodlines, members of the underworld’s royal family looked rather homogenous. 

Coyote was still at the office, helping Lady Sarah play damage control over the branch manager and her assistant stepping out in the middle of a meeting without a word. What would Mike think of his shaggy hair and dog’s ears?

Mike finally responded. “Yes, I… gathered that.” He took in their appearances with deliberate awe. 

Mormo continued. “We are devils, though not in christian sense. It is simply a word we use to differentiate us from humans and angels. Again, not angels in the christian sense.”

The human nodded. 

His easy acceptance made Mormo smile. “I am Mormo. My father is brother to the king. I serve the third princess of the underworld,” he gestured towards Hecate. “This is she, Princess Hecate, captain of Hades’ royal guard and one of his chief war advisors.”

She resisted the urge to puff out her chest with pride. 

“This is Thoth, a diety of wisdom and one of Ra’s royal mages.” Thoth bowed. “And this,” Mormo continued, “Is Metztli the sole daughter of Princess Coyolxauhqui, sister of King Huitzilopochtli.”

“Call me Lizi, everyone does,” Lizi lowered her gaze and gazed at Mike out under from her lashes. Mike smiled at her. Hecate ground her teeth together harder. 

“Well,” he smiled, “My name is Mike Harris, son of uh Ben and Lynn Harris. I’m a computer programmer.” 

Hecate made a mental note to ask Thoth what that meant later. The first priority, however, was separating Lizi and Mike. Once Lizi had rushed through tending to Hecate’s shoulder, she’d sat next to the human and had been inching closer ever since. 

Mormo seemed to catch on at last. “Lizi, do you know what Mike was attempting to purchase at the market?”

“It wasn’t a big deal,” Mike hurried to speak over Lizi’s apologies. “Just clothes and a PS5.”

“A what?” Hecate leaned down and stared at him, strangely desperate to recapture his attention. When had she stepped so close? Her ploy did not work as intended, as he looked more intimidated than intrigued. 

“It— it’s a video game console. Do you guys know what video games are?” He stammered. 

“I do,” Thoth nodded, “they appear quite varied and robust.”

Mike’s eyes lit up, clearly treading on familiar ground now. “They are! There’s something for everyone, really. I bet I could find a game for you guys.”

“Thoth and Lizi will return to this market and acquire the supplies required to use this Pee Ess Five. Mike, give Lizi a list.”

“Er, right. What’s your number, I’ll text it to you.” Mike leaned in towards Lizi and took out his phone. She followed suit and soon their heads were inches apart as he tapped out words on his phone and explained each item to her, turning the phone often around for her to gaze at. 

Well, that plan had backfired. Instead of getting Lizi out of the house, they were now close enough to kiss— Wait, where had that come from? Hecate identified that restless feeling for what it was: Jealously. 

“Hah!” She barked out a laugh. Everyone in the room turned to her. Thoth raised one delicate eyebrow. 

“Yes, princess?” Mormo gazed at her placidly. 

“Nothing.” Hecate suddenly felt very self conscious, not unlike when she’d met Mike’s ex lover. Without anything else to do, Hecate spun on her heels. “I’m retiring to my room to train,” she snapped. 


	6. Chapter 6

  


***

“I hear you need a partner.” Coyote opened the door to Hecate’s room without knocking. Unlike the other rooms, Hecate had, of course, opted to convert the main space into a small sparring pit, with a military cot crammed in the corner between the bathroom and closet. She had the largest room and the least furniture. Thoth had placed several spells to ensure the human-made building wouldn’t break during Hecate’s notoriously intense training sessions. 

The princess only grunted in return, her twin sickles flashing as she spun them in fluid circles. 

Coyote stepped into the training pit and took a moment to appreciate Thoth’s spellwork. She’d rigged it so the massive sandy arena appeared to fit into the bedroom. It looked elegant on the outside, while fully functional in the inside, complete with perpetual spring sunlight. One couldn’t argue with the deity of wisdom’s skill. 

He’d barely called on his own twin weapons, sibling tomahawks passed down through his family for thousands of years, when Hecate shouted a battle cry and attacked. 

Coyote deflected the curved blades with a deft flick and side stepped. Hecate anticipated his feint and swept her leg out, trying to bring him down before he’d regained his balance. He kept his footing, barely, and they broke apart. 

“You’re sloppy today. Tell me why.” Coyote demanded. Hecate was a true warrior. One could get away with almost anything if one did it in the ring. Like ordering the princess of hell to explain why she wasn’t fighting at her best.

“I don’t know what you mean.“ She charged again, one blade up over her head, the other out to her side, intending to scissor him in half. 

Like before, he dodged easily, slipping under and then around, one tomahawk raised to strike her wounded shoulder. “You almost murdered Lizi for looking at that human wrong. Does he get under your skin that much?”

“Playing dirty?” She snorted as she twisted her torso away to avoid his blow to her bad arm. “I simply do not think the girl needs to fawn over him so.”

“I was right!” Coyote crowed as they broke apart. Hecate’s mouth twisted and she snarled. 

“She should comport herself in a more reserved way, fitting of a princess. That’s all,” Hecate said through panting, more from frustration than exhaustion. 

“Ah, yes, she does have such a wonderful role model.” Coyote aimed his verbal jab to distract her from the tomahawk he’d just launched at her head. 

“I am what I am, Styx take me!” Hecate flipped her sickle up and deflected his attack as she shouted. His weapon blinked out and reappeared in his hand before it hit the ground. “I never claimed to be anymore more than simpleton with a broken mind…” All at once, the fight left her and she dropped her weapons. They thudded to the sandy floor. 

Coyote instantly regretted goading her. “That’s not what I meant…”

Hecate dropped to the ground and closed her eyes. “I know, Coyote,” she said through a heavy sigh. “I often wish I had a reason to care about propriety like she does. But the beast of the royal family doesn’t care when she does something foolish.”

Coyote dropped his weapons too and plopped down next to her in the warm sand. “Like when you deliberately use the wrong weapon for a fight?”

Hecate pulled her knees to her chest and dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“I do,” and he chuckled when she raised her head, eyes curious, “You were trying to show off. Your grace with the twin sickles is known throughout the entire devil world. It’s only natural to put on your best face in front of the person you fancy.”

Coyote’s mind briefly wandered to the office and Yuuta, a human who captivated him as much as he frustrated him. Unlike Hecate, Yuuta seemed uninterested in presenting even a half decent side of himself. 

“Do you think so?” She sounded strangely relaxed. 

“Do I think what? That it’s natural to show off?”

“No, that I fancy him.”

Coyote snorted. “You can’t be serious, Hecate. You’ve been crazy about him since the second he showed up in front of that bar.”

“Have I?” Her tone was contemplative, not incredulous, as if she was just now realizing the obvious. “I suppose so… What a waste.”

“How so?”

“What good does affection towards a mere human do either of us? I am here to find my bond mate. And, if I do, I will return home immediately, with no intention of visiting the human world again ever again. If I do not, I return home to die.”

He considered his next words carefully. Coyote was a trickster god and he knew a thing or two about secrets. Thoth and Mormo knew something the rest of them didn’t and he was just now realizing what it might be. 

“And if he returns your affections?”

Hecate threw her head back and laughed. “Me? The beast of the underworld? He’d be better of with Thoth for Styx’s sake.” Thoth had been single for a thousand of years and showed zero interest in romance or sex. 

“Rude,” Coyote said through a smile. “But, seriously, if you both feel the same way, is a little fun during this mission such a bad idea?”

“You are making the fatal assumption he could feel any kind of attraction for a murderer,” she pointed out. Her fists clenched. 

“I think we can safely assume he’s not a normal human,” Coyote noted. “He watched you slaughter an Ego and then sat down and listened to Mormo’s introductions like he was listening to the dinner menu. Don’t you think if he had no strong feelings, he’d have turned tail and ran by now?”

Hecate didn’t respond and Coyote decided his point had hit home. 

“Well,” he groaned as he stood, muscles sore from a workout after days of disuse, “I’m going to clean up and go back downstairs. Consider joining us.” 

  


***

Helen, or rather, Hecate, was in a worse mood than usual. Mike didn’t need Mormo to tell him that. The man had pulled him aside as Hecate was descending the stairs. 

“She is always high strung after a fight. Try to keep a low profile,” he’d advised. 

The devil princess must be upset a mere human had learned their secret. He wasn’t worried they’d do something cliche like kill him, but the difference in how they treated him was palpable. Caleb—Coyote—had returned home not long after Hecate had stalked off to her room. They must have spoken on the phone, because Coyote took the new world order and ran with it. 

Lizi must have felt incredibly guilty for hurting him, because she’d hardly left his side the entire evening, even ignoring Coyote. The man didn’t seem to mind, though Mike still worried he was driving a wedge between them. In the end, Thoth had gone to the mall alone. Mike belatedly wondered if the man who the monster had originally targeted was ok. He didn’t have the stomach to ask, too afraid of the possible truth.

Coyote looked into the distance for a second, eyes unfocused. “Thoth has what you need, Mike. She’s returning home as we speak.”

“Oh, cool. It was really nice of her to go get that stuff.” Mike had felt a little weird about asking a stranger to buy him underwear, but Thoth hadn’t seem bothered. 

“Your arm is useless, what was she supposed to do,” Hecate snapped from her armchair, refusing to look at him. 

“You’re right.” Mike hung his head. Now he couldn’t even clean up after dinner with his arm. 

“Lay off, Hecate,” Lizi grumbled.

Those silver eyes turned liquid again as she narrowed her gaze at Lizi. “What did you say?”

“Princess, she is upset, please show her mercy this once.” Mormo spoke evenly, but he directed his words at Lizi, not Hecate. Lizi slumped on the couch, her shoulder brushing against his. 

Mike looked at Hecate and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her eyes were solid again. She caught him staring and looked away, standing abruptly. “Since it seems I am only in the way, I shall investigate our balcony.”

Mormo sighed. “She’s not even wearing her bathing attire, foolish woman. Lizi, you would do well to choose your words carefully. She will likely remained agitated for days due to seeing combat after such a long period of peace.”

“I’m sorry, Mormo. She was just so rude to Mike.”

“Oh, I’m ok, uh— Lizi. Thanks for thinking of me but that’s just how Hel— Hecate is. Don’t get mad on my account.”

“You’re too nice to her,” but Lizi’s tone indicated she had taken his words to heart. 

Maybe he should go out and try to smooth things over with Hecate. She obviously didn’t like Lizi’s attitude, and Lizi was just protecting him, so it was his fault, in a way.

Mormo saw Mike shifting position and shook his head. “I know you want to speak with her, but at least wait until after our evening meal. She isn’t in the mood to listen, even to you.”

Mike wondered what he meant by that, but shrugged and waited for Thoth to return. 

  


***

They ordered Chinese again that night. After finding out they were supernatural beings, Mike suspected the restaurant’s quick turnaround time was some kind of magic. 

Mike had arranged the takeout boxes by food type. Or, rather, he’d directed Mormo. His dislocated shoulder felt pretty amazing, compared to his vague memory of when he was a kid. Still, Lizi insisted he avoid any labour for at least another two days. 

Hecate sat at the head of the table, tearing into her whole roast chicken with grim determination. The others made small talk for most of the meal. 

When the chicken was nothing more than a pile of bones, Hecate spoke. 

“We must developed contingency plans for further attacks. I do not believe this mornings Ego was a fluke. Entropy was testing us.”

“Perhaps sending us a message,” Thoth added. “A warning that knows about Mike.”

“Why would she care about a single human? If she hadn’t attacked, he might have never learned the truth.”

“Except,” Thoth cocked her head, “She’d never cared about humans knowing the truth before. She might have viewed Mike as the most enjoyable way to provoke a response.”

Mike choked on his noodles. “E— Enjoyable?”

“Entropy is the leader of the shadow beings, mostly made up of Egos. She’s notoriously sadistic and hates devils, angels, and humans alike.” Mormo put down his chopsticks to explain. “Ids are parasites who latch onto vulnerable human beings and eventually hatch into Egos, fat on their human host’s negative emotions.

“The man who spawned the Ego at the mall was likely an abusive partner who’s insecurities attracted an Id in the first place. We are lucky the Ego was born early, or the human might have done something terrible.”

“Is he ok? The guy, I mean.” Mike finally mustered the nerve to ask.

“Yes,” Thoth answered. “He likely has realized how low he’d fallen and is attempting to make amends with his partner. Had the Ego reached full gestation, I suspect killing the girlfriend would have been the trigger.”

“Oh, god. Are you saying every murderer is somehow infected by some kind of evil parasite?” That sounded far fetched and yet, made some amount of sense. 

“Not all, but many,” Hecate finally looked him in the eye as she spoke. “Entropy’s troops are prolific, though some Ids never reach maturity. An ego’s power is linked to the intensity of the human host’s actions. The one at the market was immature, because it hatched from a simple argument. Which is why it was so easy to dispatch.”

Mike nodded. The idea that the nine foot demon with teeth for a face wasn’t even full grown made him never want to leave the house again. 

“But why did I get sucked into that grey world? If that were happening all over, you’d think we’d know about it.”

“That is what we are unsure of.” Thoth picked at her broccoli. “It was either happenstance, because Lizi was touching you at the time or Entropy purposely drew you in, Mike. One option is much worse than the other.”

“This is a lot to take in.” His appetite was gone, along with any courage he’d kept after the attack. The queen of an evil legion wanted him dead because it sounded fun, after all. 

“Do not be afraid.” Hecate’s voice was almost too soft to hear.

Mike’s head jerked up at her shy tone. She sounded totally unlike herself, and looked even less so. Hecate pinned him with silver eyes, her brows knit. In her expression he saw equal parts concern and pride. 

Lizi’s jaw dropped and her gaze bounced between Mike and Hecate. Then she lowered her head and sighed deeply.

“I’m not—“ He started to lie, then reconsidered. “Ok, that’s not true. I’m terrified but… thank you, Hecate.”

It was the first time he’d said her name. Her iridescent eyes widened by a fraction, then she stood abruptly, knocking over her chair. 

“I am tired. We shall speak more tomorrow.”

  


***

By the morning, she’d regained her composure, thank the River Styx. Yesterday was a disaster. She’d made a fool of herself, a dozen times over. And then that damn human had finished it all off by saying her name like it was nothing. 

“He could have used my title,” she snarled to the shower wall. Icy water sluiced over her body. Thoth had cast a neat little spell to keep her water just above freezing at all times. 

Today, she had to return to the damned office, to speak with damned humans, and pretend like she cared about their damn problems. She hated humans. What made Mike different? 

Mormo was hiding something from her. Something related to why Mike accepted her so easily and why she felt so invested in his opinions. Perhaps Thoth was masking his true self as a way to trick Hecate into liking humans. 

“Well, that won’t work,” she said to the shower wall again. 

But… if he was a demon, there was another, tantalizing option. Was he her bond mate?

No, impossible. The connection was supposedly irresistible and instantaneous. She would have known the moment he came within a mile of her. 

Coyote’s earlier words echoed in her head. Was there any harm to a fling? She lacked his ex partner’s or Lizi’s voluptuous body, but Hecate was confident in her stamina and skill. The beast of the royal family had many admirers who wanted to bed her at least once, just for the novelty of it. Hecate had plenty of practice and Mike seemed the type who’d let her take charge in bed. 

What would Mike think of her true form?

She looked down at her flat chest and non existent hips. Skinny legs with too much muscle and skin as pale as paper. Unlike Coyote and Thoth, both skilled mages, she would not be able to maintain a disguise and make love at the same time. 

The first word that leapt to her mind was one a sexual partner long, long again had said. _Disgusting_. Even after he’d died in her bed, his blood spattered on the walls, the blankets, and her bare chest, his words burned in her memory. In a way, the fool had never really died.

No, Hecate could see the outcome before asking the question. Based on Meagan’s body, he wanted a real woman, not a monster. Someone like Lizi. 

She’d been too harsh on the girl. Why should they not act on their obvious attraction, simply because Hecate wanted something she could never have? 

Mind made up, Hecate finished her shower and donned both her disguise and her human work clothes. She would speak to Lizi today.

***

Lizi had tried to hide her disappointment after last night. Hecate’s attraction to human read clear as day, once she’d known what to look for. Going against the princess was not just pointless, but she loved Hecate too much to interfere. 

So, when Hecate had pulled her aside, eyes shuttered, and said “I apologize for my behavior yesterday. If you wish to pursue a relationship with Mike, you have my blessing.”

On one hand, Lizi was an empath. She knew just how agonizing those words were for Hecate. On the other hand, Mike had captured her attention indelibly and she longed to taste him, even if just for a single night. And the princess was an adult. If she gave her blessing, she meant it, even if it hurt. She suspected the issue arose from Hecate’s poor self esteem when it came to her body and her inevitable madness. 

While Lizi thought the princess’s shame in her body was patently ridiculous, she did understand the second concern. Why allow another to become invested when you knew your death was close and painful. It was one thing to part ways after a sincere relationship. It was another to lose your beloved to bloodlust. To watch them deteriorate until one day they were executed just to protect the lives of those around them. Lizi had seen it happen and the memory stung even now. 

She made up her mind. She would seduce Mike and ignore her guilt. No one had ever interested her like this before. To pass this up would be the act of a fool. 

With that in mind, Lizi spent the time at her inane cafe job plotting the best way to bed Mike. He was attracted to her, but too shy to act. He needed a push, something to override logic. Just enough to get the ball rolling. 

The swimming pool! Summer heat permeated the air long into the evening and sunlight stretched far into the evening. Skinny dipping would do the trick. A little heavy handed, but the more she thought about it, the more impatient Lizi grew. 

During her break, she used her phone—she was growing quite fond of the thing—to message Thoth. 

_Hecate said I could have mike_

_We should swim tonight_

_What do you think?_

_Do you have a swim suit?_

_Why would I need one?_

_I know you want to seduce him, but I guarantee getting naked won’t help. Let’s shop after work._

Lizi rolled her eyes. Thoth was such a prude. And a virgin! But the diety of wisdom wasn’t called that for nothing. They must have revealing bathing outfits in this world. 

  


***

Lizi and Thoth took a “ride share” directly to the mall. Thoth waved aside the reasoning when Coyote had asked just why they needed to have a “pool party” right this minute. 

“I shall return with attire for everyone.” Thoth had said before dragging Lizi out the office door and into the car. 

Unlike when she’d followed Mike, the mall was packed this evening. They opted to skip the large department store and instead hunted down a shop that specialized in bathing suits and swimming accessories. 

First, Thoth picked out suits for the other four and herself, while Lizi browsed. Then they both turned their attention to the most important thing: Lizi’s outfit. 

She held up two options for Thoth to scrutinize. Both were two piece swimsuits. One had pink and white stripes, trimmed with white lace ruffles. The top was barely more than two triangles on long pieces of pink string. To contrast the revealing top, the panties were a simple cut, hugging her waist and covering her posterior. The other featured black and white swirls, the top similar to the first, and the bottom yet another skimpy triangle of cloth with metallic string. 

Thoth considered each one, the pointed to the pink affair. “The other is too obvious. This balances sweet and erotic in a way that suits you.”

Lizi considered Thoth’s choice. She really wanted to wear the more revealing one but saw the logic in a less revealing outfit. She wanted to seduce, not overwhelm. 

“I see your point. Let’s go, then!”

  


***

On the way home, Thoth stopped by a food market, or “grocery store.” She paid their driver to wait with Lizi in the car and returned with a cart loaded to the brim with snacks and alcohol. 

“As they say, let us get this party started.”

Lizi suppressed a giggle and clutched the bag of swim suits to her chest. 

Coyote sensed their arrival and helped the two women unload the trunk of the somewhat bewildered driver’s car. Mike sat on the couch, a W shaped black thing covered in buttons and knobs in his hands. The television screen showed a human figure in armor running through a dreary swamp. Mormo sat next to him, entranced by the images on the screen. Lizi bit back jealously. Mormo was attracted to men but she knew he meant nothing by his closeness to Mike. Indeed, she sensed only fasciation and curiosity from Mormo, not lust. 

“We’re home!” She announced and winced at how shrill her voice sounded. Hecate wasn’t in the living room. 

“Dang, the beer won’t be cold,” Mike commented as he walked to the kitchen island to inspect Thoth’s haul. 

“Don’t worry about that.” Mormo followed and found the tall stack of metal cans. He flicked his hand. The cans started steaming as the now ice cold liquid hit the warm summer air. 

Mike whistled. “That’s awesome. Will they stay cold?”

“Yes, for as long as we wish,” Mormo affirmed. 

Suddenly desperate to show off her own magic, Lizi turned to the crackers and other grain-based snacks. She was the goddess of farming, after all. The spell worked like a charm. Each plastic bag popped open and the smell of freshly baked bread wafted out. Their snacks would taste even more fresh than the moment they’d been taken from the oven.

Mike reached into the nearest bag and pulled out a handful of square crackers with pinholes holes in it. He popped the whole thing in his mouth and chewed. “Thish ish great, Lishi!” He said through a mouthful of food. 

Her cheeks tingled. 

“If you’re both done showing off, how about we get changed.” Thoth rolled her eyes and pulled individual wrapped packages out of the shopping back. She’d had the attendant at the store write their human names on each bundle. “Don’t worry, my sizing is impeccable. They will fit and I believe you’ll all like your styles.”

Mike stared at the row of suits, then glanced at the row of bedrooms, then at Lizi herself. “Uh, are we going swimming?”

“Of course! Don’t tell me you aren’t dying to try our pool.” Coyote chortled. 

The swimming area was indeed luxurious. Lady Sarah had called it an infinity pool. The long edge facing the city view had no border. Water cascaded down into a channel and was pumped back into the main pool, giving the illusion that sky and water were one. It was very romantic, Lizi decided. 

“I guess. How much do I owe you for the suit?” He asked Thoth. 

She shook her head. “We can work out the details later, if you insist. For now, change. I shall attempt to lure our glorious leader out.”

Lizi wanted to stop her. Hecate would only distract Mike. She needed his full attention on her and her body, not the princess’s glowering. Assuming Thoth could coax Hecate out at all.

“Nothing will happen either way unless you get dressed,” Coyote’s voice held the hint of laughter. 

“Shut up!” She joked, then grabbed her bundle and ran upstairs. 

  


***

Mike wasn’t entirely sure what was happening. He’d spent the day, ironically, playing Devil Souls 3, his arm already recovered enough to hold a controller. 

Then the Graves had returned home, less Lizi and Thoth, only for those two to return an hour later with enough chips and beer to feed an army. Or five devils and one human, in this case. Then Thoth had whipped out a bunch of swim suits and ordered everyone to change. Mike stood in the bathroom now, looking at the bland, functional pair of swim trunks she’d purchased. Should he be offended or appreciative she’d picked the most boring design in the store for him? 

Downstairs, Mormo and Coyote’s raised voices filtered through his door. They’d purchased beer so that meant alcohol affected devils. He wondered what they were like piss drunk and if he’d get to see that tonight. Judging by the good natured arguing below, he had a decent chance.

The windows were actually doors, it turned out, and the panels all slid to one side, essentially extending the living room to the outside. A dozen propane heaters glowed, lining the glass balcony. They were set on low for now. 

Lounging in low slung chairs in the shelf area of the pool, Coyote and Mormo continued their slurred argument. Something about the benefits of enchanted silver from the underworld and spell stone from the air realm. Thoth and Lizi sat next to each other on the right corner, legs dangling in the water. Thoth’s suit was a simple one piece of deep purple. And Lizi… 

Mike tried not to stare. 

Her suit didn’t do her body justice, to be honest. Good, old fashioned lust reared its head and Mike had to concentrate to prevent an erection that would show under his lightweight swim suit. 

He’d noticed it before, but in the setting sun her golden skin looked almost angelic. Or, devilish, in this case? Long, wavy hair cascaded down her back, the tips frayed in an almost plant-like way. He’d looked up everyone’s names that afternoon and discovered they were all named after various gods. Or maybe not named after. Maybe they were literal gods? 

Metztli was the goddess of the moon, nighttime, and farmers. She looked like the personification of a golden field of wheat. {{whoops this should be corn im stupid?}} 

She saw him staring and instead of pulling a face, she just smiled and waved. “Come sit with us! The water is lovely!” 

His feet moved before his brain kicked into motion. Clearly another body part was doing the thinking for now. 

The water was the perfect temperature, no doubt from another spell. While he’d changed, someone had brought the food and drink outside and arranged them on the glass patio tables scattered on one side of the balcony. Several empty and tipped over cans littered the ground. Lizi and Thoth both had beers in their hands. Lizi offered him one from the pile behind her. 

“Thanks,” he mumbled as he cracked the can open. Anxiety from the past few days bubbled to a head and he took a long swig, draining half the can at once. Thoth laughed and Lizi cheered. 

“Cheers,” she said as she leaned towards him. Her ample breasts brushed against his arm and Mike struggled to control his lower body. He suspected she knew exactly what she was doing. And suddenly… a fling with a sweet, attractive woman seemed like a great idea. He’d never been a rebound sex kind of guy but Lizi made a strong argument to try it out. Besides, he needed to drown this strange, restless feeling that had gnawned on his gut all day. 

“Cheers,” he replied and gave her his best come hither look. Which probably looked goofy, not sexy. 

Lizi didn’t seem to care. She rested her hand on his knee. “You’re out of your sling. How is your arm?”

“It’s—“ he gulped for air, “it’s fine. I don’t think I’ll try to swim, though.”

“Once we’ve finished out here, let me apply a salve, it will help you use the arm even sooner than expected.”

The subtext of her offer was clear.

“Yea,” he breathed, “sounds good.”

“Ok, you two! Give us a little bit more of your time before you shut yourself in the bedroom all night!” Coyote jumped off the ledge and swam over to them, resting his arms on the edge of pool, kicking with his back feet. 

Mike started to object, but Coyote rambled on. “Tell us about this video game you were playing. Mormo is dying to know more but he’s too self conscious to ask. Something about being the oldest blah blah.”

“You whelp!” Mormo shouted. He wobbled as he tried to get up, then fell back into the chair and groaned. 

“Well, uh, it’s called Devil Souls 3, which is actually pretty funny, now that I think about it.” Mike opened his third beer. Wait, when had he finished the second? Oh, well. 

Fueled by Lizi, Coyote’s infectious cheer, and beer, Mike proceeded to explain the plot and lore of every single game in the souls series. They listened with rapt attention, nodding and asking the occasional question. 

He finished his monologue and opened his seventh beer. His spine tingled and, like metal to a magnet, he looked up and into Hecate’s eyes. She was still dressed in her work clothes. And she looked… sad. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when she spoke. 

“Mormo, I am retiring early. Lady Sarah assured us the office is closed tomorrow, so please sleep as long as you like, and try not to disturb me on your way to bed.”

Before they could respond, she drifted back inside. Mike saw her forlorn figure make its way up the stairs and shamble into her room. 

“She seems upset.” He announced to no one in particular. 

“Hecate is a warrior. Peace, then a small fight followed by more peace has rubbed her nerves raw.” Mormo sounded morose and Mike wondered if there was more to the story. 

Lizi leaned in again and outright pressed herself against his arm. “She’s done this before. Don’t worry about her, ok? Let’s just have a good time.”

He wanted to say that they were having a good time. And it was ok to worry about her. And not to worry so much herself. She leaned closer and it all went out the window. 

“Tell me about your house, Lizi.”

“Oh! Well, it’s not just a house, it’s more like a whole realm.”

“You said that before,” he noted, “what does realm mean?”

“It’s like a city, sort of. Devil and angel families have their own little worlds where they live and play. We come together for celebrations and the like, and of course you can visit each other. Most realms are steeped in tradition. For example, my mother and father’s realm hasn’t changed since the Aztecs first started to worship them.”

“So you live in a temple?”

“Well, it looks old on the outside, but we have every modern comfort. I’m the only daughter out of six children, so I’ve always had my own room.”

Lizi went on, talking about her favorite foods growing up, how her brothers would tease her when other devil boys came to flirt, and how she’d longed to visit the human world. Mike took it all in, drinking and smiling, enjoying the easy companionship they shared. Lizi was nothing like Hecate. Being close to the Aztec princess was easy. There was no subtext, no confusion. Just cheerful conversation and simplistic intimacy. Somewhere in the back of his head, Mike knew he was just running away, though from what he couldn’t say. 

Darkness fell and the moon rose. Moonlight changed Lizi’s golden skin and wheat hair pale. Her skin took on an almost pearlescent shimmer and her hair actually changed texture completely. Gone were the bouncing curls, replaced with fine yellow hair, like the silk from a corn cob. The change took his breath away. 

“Do you like it? The moonlight changes me,” she said breathlessly, leaning close. 

“It’s beautiful.” Mike kicked himself for not finding a more original complement. “You look like the trail of a shooting star.” That was better. 

“Oh— oh my goodness, that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. How is your arm, would you like that salve now?”

Mike looked into her heart shaped face and golden eyes, her silken hair floating in a gentle breeze, and her full lips curved in a flirtatious smile. 

“Yea, let’s do that now.”


	7. Chapter 7

  


***

Thoth double checked each bedroom’s spells. In addition to those specific to each resident, she’d placed a number of generic ones on them all. A spell to prevent any structural damage due to overly excited devils, one to prevent the windows from showing the true inhabitants of the room, spells to further confuse and misdirect Entropy’s troops, and one that blocked all noise. 

She was especially grateful for that last one. About half an hour ago, Lizi and Mike had tottered off to the moon goddess’s room, hormones raging. No one wanted to hear the rather vocal Lizi make love, most of all Hecate. 

What was that idiot thinking. She’d obviously given Lizi permission to go after Mike. Even though Hecate’s own feelings for the human were obvious to anyone with eyes. And, based on her behavior over dinner the night before, Lizi had been well prepared to leave it alone. 

Hecate liked to kick the hornet’s nest, that was certain. 

“Our princess is a fool,” she commented to Mormo, who was slumped on the couch. They were the last two awake. 

“She is,” he agreed. 

“I believe Mike is her bond mate, but I do not understand why the connection is not stronger. I assume because he is human.”

“A likely answer. And I suspect Entropy attacked because the senses the same things we do.”

“Forcing Hades to lose his best warrior would be a terrible blow, even if she cut down scores of Egos before she died. We need to think about how to awaken their bond.”

“If you know all that,” Mormo grumped, “why did you encourage Lizi to sleep with him. Bond mates may not fall in love but the connection makes sexual intimacy with others… difficult. You’re setting them up for failure.”

Thoth narrowed her eyes at the devil. “Ever the princesses loyal servant,” she snapped. “Think about it. Hecate went out of her way to push Lizi towards this. She may not realize it, but the princess is testing, or punishing, herself. If I’d stopped Lizi now, things would never come to head.”

“You honestly think Mike will bed Lizi and willingly walk away? You’re the fool here, Thoth.” Mormo snapped, obviously raw about her comment regarding his unwavering loyalty. 

“I don’t think, Mormo, I _know._ The only question is how long until Hecate comes to her senses.”

***

They smelled of sweat and bodily fluids. Hecate resisted the urge to gag. Honestly, when had she become to immature? Two consenting adults had made love, showered, and come downstairs. It wasn’t their fault her senses were heightened due to stress. 

Thank the river Styx they were not required to attend work today. She needed a long training session. Perhaps she could weasel Thoth into opening a portal to the underworld’s royal barracks. Hecate desperately desired to beat the shit out of something. 

Alas, Mormo had other plans. 

“Princess, we should plan for further attacks, as you suggested the other night.”

If looks could kill, Hecate would have murdered everyone she’d ever met. Nevertheless, she stared daggers at her uncle, no matter how little impact it had these days. 

“Fine. We shall finish breakfast and convene the war council. You three need not attend,” she pointed at Lizi, Coyote, and Mike. Coyote was a valuable asset in strategizing, but if she didn’t exclude him, her behavior would look beyond petty. 

No one said a word. No one even dared look at her. Hecate felt the isolation of being a princess, of being the beast of the royal family, of being the stubborn, simple minded butcher she was. No one would contradict her because they couldn’t. She knew that but still longed for their resistance. 

They finished the simple hangover breakfast in silence, then the three shuffled out to the balcony. 

Thoth, Mormo, and herself remain seated. 

“We do not know why Entropy targeted the human,” Hecate began, “but if she did it once, it is safe to assume she will do so again. Lizi should continue by his side. Her position as a healer makes her well suited to guard him.” It hurt to say. She said it anyways. 

“Wouldn’t a warrior or mage make more sense?” Mormo countered. “If an Ego deals a fatal blow, Lizi’s skill won’t mean a thing.”

“True,” Thoth added. “But, she is proficient enough to protect him until myself or Hecate arrive. The most important part of being guarded is your guardian must _want_ to be there.”

Hecate winced. Thoth was implied Hecate refused to do the job because she didn’t want to be around Mike. And, to some degree, she was correct. Being around him stung, especially after he’d slept with Lizi. There was no going back from her. 

“Which is why Lizi is perfect. They were together last night, so they’re bond is deeper than before.”

Mormo raised one eyebrow, surprised that she knew. 

“I could smell it,” she snapped. 

“I should have thought of that, I suppose.” Thoth said, referencing the enchantments she placed on their rooms. 

“Why? So you could hide it from me? Even without smell, it was obvious.” They were treating her like a child!

“No, we couldn’t have hidden it entirely, but you deserve not to have it shoved in your face.” Thoth’s voiced softened. She went from goading peer to loving relative in a moment. Sometimes one forgot just how old Thoth was. She played the part of colleague because it suited her, nothing more. 

Hecate took the peace offering. In the end, they wanted what was best for her, as they always had. 

“We cannot forget why we are really here, either,” Mormo pointed out. “We should send Coyote on exploratory excursions when he has the chance, to look for signs of nearby errant devils.”

“Fine,” Hecate nodded. “You are his superior at work, so create a schedule that works best. If he finds anything of note, tell him to report directly to me.”

“So, Coyote will sniff out your bond mate and Lizi shall guard our human, correct?” Thoth kept her tone neutral. 

“Correct. Now, Thoth, can you open a portal to the palace, please?”

The diety of wisdom held Hecate’s look for a moment, then shrugged. “And what should I tell Mike, should he look for you?” 

“He will not.”

“Humor me, princess. The price of the spell.”

“Tell him where I am. Hell, show him if he damn well wants. Now do it.”

  


***

“Mormo?” Mike rubbed his forehead. “Do you know where Hecate went?”

Mormo jumped at the question. “I… er…” 

How strange. He’d never sounded so flustered.

“She went back home,” Thoth looked up from her book. 

“Wha—“ Mike’s mind spun. Had she just left them all here? “Is she coming back?”

Thoth threw her head back and laughed. “Of course, she simply went to train. She will tell Coyote when she is ready to return. I expect her before Monday, at the latest. 

Until his heart slowed, Mike hadn’t realized how upset the idea of her vanishing without a word made him. A wild idea occurred to him. 

“Could I—“

“Of course,” Thoth didn’t let him finish, anticipating his question. “She gave me explicit permission to accompany you if you desired.”

“Thoth, wait—“ Mormo came more unglued. He looked at Thoth, panic plain on his face. “She didn’t.”

“Oh, come now. You were there. I believe her exact words were ‘show him if he damn well wants.’”

Mormo folded in on himself, accepting his defeat. Why was the man so worried about him visiting Hecate’s home. He’d be safe enough, wouldn’t he?

“I shall place a small protective charm on you.” Thoth held one of her hands level with her face, palm out. “It is a simple spell but it will require a deal of energy to maintain, because you are a human. I must reserve enough to bring us all home as well, so I’m afraid we cannot stay long.”

“That’s alright. Let’s go.”

“Done. Now, step this way.”

Mike looked down at himself when Thoth spoke and saw a body not his own. He raised his hands to see pale, boney fingers and black tipped nails, sharp like claws. 

“A basic disguise and some magical misdirection,” Thoth answered his curiosity. “You will attract too much attention in your true form and that will irritate the princess. Let us go.”

Thoth went to front door and opened it. Instead of the lobby and elevator, a dark hallway with flickering candles greeted them. 

They stepped through and Thoth’s violet eyes sparkled. “Welcome to Hell, Mike.”

He tried to laugh through her joke but the air felt oppressive. 

“Where is Hecate?” He asked, instead of his more pressing question of “am I going to make it out of here alive?”

“Hmm,” Thoth hummed her answer. “The training halls, of course. It won’t be difficult to find her.”

Mike almost stepped on her heels as Thoth led him down halls, through doors as wide as they were tall, and down more halls. The decor was a sort of fantasy Britannia crossed with Ancient Greece, with black marble pillars, skeletal horses carved into plinths, and green flame braziers. A narrow channel of water lined both sides of every hall, passing under door frames and intersections. Elaborate setting aside, the water looked normal.

“The water from the river Styx,” Thoth explain when she caught him staring. “When the old king first designed the new palace, he diverted part of the river for the water feature. After the old palace fell, well… we needed something beautiful.” For the first time since he’d met her, an emotion other than sarcasm or impish humor showed in her words. 

Again, questions filled his buzzing mind. Who was the old king? Hecate’s grandfather, or was king just a nickname and they were elected? It wouldn’t be the first time the devils used a word differently that humanity. And who, or what, had destroyed the old palace? Why was her voice laced with grief and regret?

None of those seemed appropriate. 

“Thank you for not pressing the matter,” Thoth whispered. “I’m sure Hecate will tell you, one day.”

“Sure, no problem.”

“Ah, here we are.” Thoth halted in front of a massive door stained blood red. When she opened it, the previously silent hallway erupted in a cacophony of sound, loud and deep enough to vibrate in Mike’s bones. 

“I hear her. This way.” Thoth sauntered away as if the next world war wasn’t raging on all sides. 

The hallway opened abruptly into a massive room, with only rows of pillars to separate each sandy pit. Each pit teemed with pale figures in black leather locked in combat. Silver weapons flashed and purple light flashed and crackled. Mike struggled to reconcile the sight before him with his previously boring, very non-magical life. 

Something drew him down the central pathway against his will. A magnetic pull he could ignore no more than he could stop breathing. She was there, he knew, down here, then to the right and down here…

“Ah,” he breathed. 

A dozen of the fighting rings of the previous area could fit in each of these. The outer edges featured stadium seating carved into the walls. A long female figure sat on a bench watching the battle Hecate fought below. 

Bloody chunks littered the ground and still she danced over them like a bird of prey skimming the water. Larger, clawed versions of the Ego that had attacked him circled her, screeching. They stepped on and through the giblets, focused only on the woman in the center. 

One creature with six arms and claws the length of Mike’s arm roared and leapt towards her from behind. 

“Hecate!” He screamed before he realized what he was doing. This was a training hall, she wasn’t in any danger. 

The princess of hell below him whipped around. Her eyes widened as she met his. The charging beast landed a direct hit on her back, cleaving downwards. Hecate fell the ground. 

The woman in the stands stood and every trace of the Egos puffed into smoke. 

“Sloppy!” She shouted. 

Hecate stood, wobbling a bit, and turned towards her heckler. Mike breathed a deep sigh of relief when he saw her back bore no wound or marks of any kind. 

Thoth sniggered. “Hella is a master illusionist, Hecate is an idiot but not enough to wound herself in training. The pain is probably real, though.”

“What!?” 

Hecate tried to remain on her feet and failed, dropping to her knees, sending sand flying. 

“Oh, please. Get up, sister. Get up, and I’ll end the spell.”

“Bitch,” Hecate snapped, voice ragged. Nevertheless, she stood, steady and strong as if nothing was wrong. 

“Fool,” her sister responded, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She flicked her hand and Hecate’s shoulders relaxed. 

Pain gone, she refocused on the source of her defeat. 

“Thoth!” As she bellowed the devil’s name, she bounded up the ring’s sloped sides. “Why did you bring him here? Have you lost your mind? Did my father put you up to this? What the hell is going on?” Hecate refused to look at him. 

“Relax, it’s your fault for losing focus.”

“Hey!” Mike couldn’t take it any longer. Everyone was just so… mean to her. They criticized her, even when she was hurting. “Could you fight like her? I don’t think so. Why don’t you lay off.”

“Well, sister, you seem to have found quite the advocate.” Hella reached them, standing a few feet apart, one hand on her hip. She wore a red toga with gold leather slippers and arm bracers. Her hair, long and wavy, swayed as she came to a stop. Her dress clung to her curves. She stood taller than her sister, with a full figure and flawless skin. Hecate and Hella looked similar, but only just. 

“I take after our mother,” Hella arched an eyebrow. 

“Explain, Thoth.” Hecate continued as if her sister didn’t exist. 

“Mike wanted to see you, so I brought him here. Ask Hella, my spell is keeping him safe.”

“An excellent job, as always, teacher,” Hella nodded vigorously, her silver eyes sparkling in admiration. 

“Flatterer,” Thoth grumbled but her eyes were bright with humor. 

“Take him back this instant,” Hecate ordered. 

“Wait!” Mike knew if he didn’t do anything, they’d drag him home without a second thought. “Look, I think your upset with me and I don’t know why. I wanted to apologize. I thought… well, I thought you’d gone home for good.” His stomach flipped. Why was he so honest when it came to her?

For an endless moment, Hecate studied him, taking in every inch, assessing him like an opponent in battle. He felt like a fly pinned to a display board.

“I’m sure they explained how restless I get after battle. I must burn off that energy before I return to the human world. I’m not _safe_ right now.”

For some reason, her sisters words made Hella draw in on herself, expression grim. 

“And, alas, my magic is drained for now,” Thoth said briskly. “We must return now or the princess really won’t be coming back anytime soon.”

Hella gave her teacher a suspicious look. “Just how many spells in the human world are you maintaining, anyways? Ah, never mind you won’t tell me anyways. Let me help send them back at least.”

“If you insist,” Thoth shrugged as she raised her hand. Hella stood abreast and raised her opposite hand. 

Unlike before, when the apartment door has doubled as the portal, here it filled the space between two pillars, extending floor to ceiling. On the other side, Mike saw the balcony. Lizi and Coyote turned and waved. 

“Come on, Mike.” Thoth tugged him through the opening between worlds. 

***

Monday came far too soon. The weekend’s disaster had run Coyote ragged. Work wasn’t all that bad. The tasks themselves bored him and his coworkers were cheerful, simple humans. Except for one. 

Yuuta Ito. That bastard stripped his confidence, all while keeping his own cool. Coyote had never felt so flustered by anyone before, human or devil. And he’d slept with a lot of people. 

And, for whatever reason, Mormo had decided it would be hilarious to use Coyote as the messenger for Every. Single. Thing. Yuuta needed. 

“Why not just make me _his_ secretary instead.” Coyote swore under his breath. 

“Caleb, could you step into my office for a second?” Mormo poked his head out of his office. 

Chills ran down Coyote’s spine. He had a very bad feeling about this.

“Be right there.” He locked his work machine and pushed back his chair. Sarah gave him a curious glance, then returned to her work. She had her hands full managing their ill tempered boss. He felt genuinely sorry for her. Though, she seemed to be holding her own, so maybe he shouldn’t worry so much. 

“What’s up, Miles?” Coyote said as he flopped onto the couch perpendicular to Mile’s desk. 

Someone cleared their throat. 

Coyote looked up and felt his stomach clench. Yuuta sat in one of the guest chairs across from Miles, looking equal parts angry and bored. 

“I spoke with Yuuta Friday and after thinking it over on the weekend, I think you’d be better suited as his personal assistant rather than mine. Sarah is more than capable of handling both of us.”

What? No! No, no, no. Mormo couldn’t be serious. 

“Uh—“ His throat closed up as he tried to argue. 

“I hope you can put our personal distrust aside and behave professionally,” Yuuta said in clipped tones. 

“If you don’t like me, why make me your secretary?” Coyote said under his breath. 

“What was that?” Yuuta’s face remained impassive but his words carried a distinct bite. “I’ll give you a moment to speak with Mr. Graves, then come see me in my office.”

He stood and strode from room. 

“Cocky bastard,” Coyote swore. “Care to explain why you let this happen?”

“He seemed to think you’d do more good at the company if you worked with him directly.” Mormo tried to look innocent, but one doesn’t trick a trickster god so easily. 

“Bullshit. Tell me the real reason.”

Now Mormo looked genuinely confused. “The real reason? I thought you wanted to be closer to him….”

“You can’t be serious.” Coyote dropped his head to his head. “I hate that guy.”

“Oh? I suppose I mistook it for fascination. Well, put up with a few weeks and I’ll find a way to transfer you back.” Mormo did not look all that sorry. 

“A few _weeks_? By then one of us won’t be alive anymore. We can’t possible survive in the same room for eight hours a day, seven days a week.”

“Well, you’ll never know if you don’t try, right?”

  


***

“You’re desk is here,” Yuuta pointed to his personal assistant’s corner of the office. Caleb looked at the area, his skepticism clear.

“Why did you make Miles transfer me?” He stood in the doorway still, as if stepping over the threshold was a point of no return. 

“Straight to the point. I didn’t _make_ him do anything. I asked why he sent you on so many trivial errands and he offered you up to me.”

Caleb squirmed, like Yuuta’s wording bothered. Good. The kid needed a little humility and discomfort in his life. He was far too casual and relaxed, like nothing bothered him. 

Why should Yuuta be the only one unsettled here?

He clenched his fists. Damnit, focus. 

“Sit down. You’re no good to me standing in the doorway.”

For a moment, he wondered if the young man was going to bolt. Then he swallowed hard and took his place. 

“Now, our first order of business is to confirm our reservation for the pavilion and catering for the company picnic. And the, uh, bouncy castle company cancelled on us last minute. We need to find a suitable replacement”

“Reservation for…?”

Caleb lost his train thought. Yuuta had come up behind and bent over his shoulder to look at the computer screen. 

“Log in. I’ve already forwarded you the relevant contact information. The 4th falls on a Saturday this year, so we picked a place near a fireworks display.”

“ _This_ is why you dragged me away from Miles? To plan a party?” Caleb regained his senses and scooted away.

“I’m in management, and someone had to organize the event. I offered out of respect for Sarah’s time.”

“Uh huh.” Caleb sounded unconvinced. The bright afternoon light cut a delicate profile of his face. Yuuta hadn’t noticed it before now, but Caleb’s features were undeniably feminine, with sparkling eyes, arched brows, and full lips. Just the kind of man he—

No. No! Not in a hundred years. That wasn’t who he was now.

“Stop stalling and get to work.” Yuuta growled. He returned to his own desk and flung himself into his chair. It was time to find work—a lot of it—to distract him. 

Why on _earth_ had he convinced Miles to let him borrow his secretary?


	8. Chapter 8

  


***

“Picnic?” Mike asked as he cleaned up the remains of that night’s delivery order. The Graves were singlehandedly keeping multiple local restaurants in business. 

Lizi flashed a flirty smile and leaned on the kitchen island, showcasing her cleavage. Mike felt his body heat up at the memory of the other night. Neither had spoken of it since but not in an uncomfortable way. 

When they both felt the mood, Mike knew they’d sleep together again. Simple, fun and just what he needed to clear his muddled head. He’d never thought himself weak to pleasure but Lizi was an excellent lover who wasn’t afraid to take charge and tell him exactly what she wanted. A far cry from Meagan’s subdued moans and passive expressions. 

So, he appreciated the view without guilt and returned her salacious smile with a coy one of his own. 

“Get a room, you two.” Coyote turned away from fridge, beer in hand. He’d been exceptionally cranky since they’d returned from work that evening. 

“Don’t mind him. He doesn’t like his new boss,” Lizi winked at Mike like it was all a big conspiracy. Coyote just growled like an irritated canine and slunk off to the balcony to enjoy his drink. 

“Anyways,” she continued, “the company is having a party for the 4th of July. That’s a big deal here, Sarah said. There’ll be food and games and _fireworks_. I’m so excited to see human fireworks.”

“Why? They’ll be bland compared to magic,” Coyote shouted over his shoulder from the patio. 

“Hush!” She shouted, then whispered to Mike, “I hope he gets it over soon.”

“Get what over?”

“His boss. He needs to sleep with him and be done with it.”

Mike choked on his own beer. “Wh— what?”

Mormo, Thoth, and Hecate all returned from her bedroom, faces grim. 

“A moment of your time, please, everyone.” Mormo stepped onto the balcony and beckoned the rest of them. “We need to discuss safety protocols for the gathering this week.”

Hecate stood apart from the others, looking aloof and annoyed. 

Mormo continued, “there’s a decent risk Entropy will use this as an opportunity for an ambush. We cannot cancel the picnic, nor should we excuse ourselves as executives and employees of the office. This is crucial opportunity to gain the humans’ trust.”

“I don’t understand. I saw Hecate kill that Ego like it was nothing. Five of you should be just fine.” The entire group looked at him and waited. “Oh.” He finally caught on.

“Yes.” Thoth affirmed. “We cannot leave you alone and only Lizi can reasonably to skip the event. She cannot protect you if multiple mature Egos attacked.”

“Sorry, Mike,” Lizi whispered. “I’m not really good in a fight.”

“Furthermore,” Thoth continued, “I will be maintaining spells to protect the picnic, as well as the ones in this apartment. There’s too much upkeep to remain agile enough to protect you.”

“What if we asked Princess Hella?” Coyote’s words were a little slurred by now. 

“My sister would gladly aid you, Thoth.” Everyone nodded at Hecate’s words. 

“No. It’s too dangerous.” The diety of wisdom’s tone sharpened to a dangerous edge. 

That didn’t stop Hecate, of course. “Stop coddling her, Thoth. She’s the king’s royal mage and the strongest magic user in the underworld. And her talent lies in illusion and protection.” Mike couldn’t help but notice Hecate’s chest puff out as she praised her sister. 

For once, Thoth looked unsettled. “I know that,” she snapped, “but _because_ she is one of the king’s advisors, I cannot drag her away from the court for this.”

“Nonsense.” Hecate’s eyes flashed, her predatory instinct thoroughly roused. “Court isn’t in session and you know it. Father has no need of her for now and this is the perfect chance for her to hone her skills in the human world.”

“You—“ But she knew defeat. Thoth sighed. “Fine. I’ll invite her. If she says no, don’t you dare push it.”

“Even if she attends, I believe the best chance we have of keeping Mike safe is to bring him with us.” Mormo tried to sneak his suggestion in nonchalantly. 

“Er, what?” Mike stared at the gentleman.

“We are allowed to bring our spouses and children, or any one guest,” Thoth explained as she caught on. “Coyote will bring Lizi, Hecate will bring her sister, and I will bring you. The closer you are, the easier you will be to protect.”

This didn’t sit right with him at all. “I’m not worth all this trouble.”

“I am not in the habit of putting my subordinates in danger.” Hecate’s voice was as sharp as Thoth’s. As was typical now, she wouldn’t look at him, speaking Mormo instead. “He will attend and Hella and Lizi’s sole purposes will be his protection. That leaves Thoth free to maintain the larger spells.”

“Feasible,” Thoth agreed. She seemed to have already warmed to the idea of having her student by her side. 

“If that’s settled, would someone join me in my room?” Hecate was already heading back inside. 

Thoth raised her hand, “I’ll go. Coyote, get a message to Hella, would you?”

“Yea, yea, fine.” He made a shooing motion with his hand. “Go on and have fun beating the shit out of each other.”

***

The next three days flew by. The closer Saturday got, the more Mike found himself excited just to get outside. Since joining the Graves, he’d spent most of his time at home, playing video games, or hanging out on the balcony. He was supposed to be their housekeeper but there wasn’t much to clean up after and they produced a surprisingly small amount of laundry. Cleaning up after breakfast and dinner was by far his largest task. They didn’t even have an brik a brak to dust. 

Saturday morning dawned early. For once, he wasn’t the first one awake. Thoth and and unfamiliar woman’s voice filtered into his room. 

Mike got ready as fast as possible, like a kid before a field trip. As he descended, Thoth and the woman, who he recognized as Hella, stood in the kitchen, locked in deep conversation. 

“Why don’t you just tell her.”

“Are you serious, Hella?”

“Of course! Hecate is my sister, I know her better than anyone. She hates secrets and—“

“And just what are we supposed to say? ‘Sorry but the key to your sanity is a mortal?’ She hates humans, thinks their inferior, I don’t see how—“

“Thoth!” Hella shoved her teacher’s shoulder. Thoth spun around and saw Mike standing at the food of the stairs. His jaw clenched. 

Hecate hated humans? He’d suspected, especially after her behavior the past week, but to hear Thoth actually say it hurt. The princess’s sudden aversion to him made sense. Now that the secret was out, she was just making devils’ superiority clear, lest he get the idea they were equals. He was an idiot for thinking she might actually… Well, it wasn’t important now. 

“We meet again,” Hella said with forced cheer. “I hear I’m going to help keep you safe today. But, much like my sister and uncle, I’ve never attended a human celebration today, so I’ll be relying on you to guide me.”

His jaw dropped. This cheerful young woman, dressed in a red blouse and black slacks, her hair in a messy topknot, looked nothing like the imposing, spell slinging princess he’d met in the palace. Her human disguise bronzed her skin and stole the metallic sheen from her eyes, but now that he knew what to look for, her identity as a devil was unmistakable. 

“Isn’t she great?” Lizi came up behind him and rested one arm around his waist. “It’s lovely to see you, Hella!” Lizi’s infectious grin spread to the group.

“Lizi, you look positively angelic. You put by Gabby to shame, I swear. You must be seeing someone.”

“Uh!” His lover’s face turned red under her golden sheen. 

“Oops, was that supposed to be a secret?” Hella asked dryly, looking pointedly at Lizi’s arm wrapped around Mike. 

“No, I guess not.” She threw her head back and laughed, then proceeded to draw Hella into a conversation about recent funny stories about the court of the King of Death. Mike largely tuned it out, as they used too many unfamiliar terms and names for him to follow. 

It gave him time to brood. Lizi wasn’t his girlfriend, but they were more than housemates. Lover did seem like a good word. She was the goddess of the moon and stuff, but she acted no different around him then Coyote or Mormo. It didn’t matter if she was a different species. They had fun and she treated him with respect. 

Unlike a certain princess… Why did her opinion upset him so much? It’s not like she resented him personally, just his species in general. Maybe it was because he’d hoped she’d consider him an exception to rule. That she considered special.

Stupid! What could a member of a royal family find so interesting in a only-slightly-above-average human being? 

Mike sighed and decided there wasn’t any point in agonizing over it. Hecate believed what she believed and nothing would change her mind. He wished he understood what Thoth had meant by “saving her sanity.” Probably just a turn of phrase, but something about it made the back of his mind itch, like he’d forgotten something important. 

“Sister, your disguise is truly a disgrace.” Hecate appeared in the kitchen and Mike felt himself drawing back from her, snuggling into Lizi’s casual embrace. Hecate didn’t notice. 

“Hecate! Do you need to go back home and fight another army of illusions?” Hella sounded offended. Maybe she didn’t share her sister’s distaste for humans. 

“I’m merely stating the truth. Everyone here agrees humanity’s constraints conceal your true beauty.”

And for some reason, her words rankled Mike’s nerves. Was she looking for any possible chance to flaunt her dislike? 

“I think she’s just as beautiful, human or devil.” Mike bit out the words before he could stop himself. 

The entire group went quiet. 

For the first time in days, Hecate met his eyes. Mike gulped. Volatile mercury swirled in her irises, a vortex trying to suck him in. Behind her rage lay a solemn emotion he couldn’t pin point. Barely visible, but there, begging for recognition. 

She blinked and the fleeting sensation fled, leaving only fury in its place. 

Hecate opened her mouth to speak, body leaning towards him as she prepared to advance. Hella stepped in her way. 

“Leave it, sister. He’s merely complimenting me, no matter how clumsy.”

“Hel—“

“Leave. It.” Hella ordered. 

She slipped into the role of older sister seamlessly, putting her younger sister in her place with two words.

Hecate seethed, refusing to break eye contact with him. Mike wanted to cower further behind Lizi or run away outright. If he did that, though, she’d have won. He would have demonstrated humans were the inferior cowards she thought they were. Mike tapped Lizi’s arm and stepped away from her, drawing himself up to his full height, though he still stood several inches shorter than Hecate. He would not hide from her anymore. If she didn’t like him, she could say it to his face. 

Despite his resolve… Mike couldn’t actually think of anything to say, so he settled for engaging in a stare down with the princess. To his utter shock, she broke eye contact first, turning around to face the windows, putting them all to her back. 

Mormo coughed, having some downstairs at some point during the confrontation. 

“What is going on?” He kept his voice toneless. 

“They’re butting heads,” Hella shrugged, like her sister hadn’t just wanted to kill Mike.

“That’s one way to put it,” Thoth added in her best teacher’s lecture voice. 

“I see.” Mormo contemplated Hecate’s back and rigid stance. “We are supposed to arrive early at the venue and it is quite a distance from here. We have two hours before we must leave. I suggest we eat now.”

“Ooh!” Hella perked up, shedding her older sister mantle. “I had Cookie whip up a simple home cooked meal for us all. It’s in the chiller.”

As Thoth and Hella unloaded black lacquered boxes wrapped in black silk and arranged them on the table, Coyote joined them. He stood next to Hecate, facing the window as well. She said something under her breath that Mike couldn’t hear and Coyote responded with equal quiet. Something in Hecate’s posture changed, like she was folding in on herself. 

Mike shook his head. Why was he still worrying about her?

“She made _bento_?” Lizi had unwrapped her bundle, revealing a divided box with different dishes tucked in each rectangle. Meat and sauce on a bed rice, a petite salad with orange dressing, and pickled vegetable slices. The ingredients looked like normal human food. 

“She did! She recently returned from Japan and wanted to try out some modern recipes she’d picked up there.”

“Yum, I can’t wait! Her cooking is seriously the best.” Lizi pulled a pair of metal chopsticks out from the folds of the cloth and dug in. The others followed suit. 

If there was a difference between human and devil food, Mike couldn’t tell. It tasted like any expensive meal might, expertly prepared using quality ingredients. Maybe there was some kind of magic flavor only devil’s could taste?

It made Hecate’s dislike even more ridiculous. Except for skin and eye colors, humans and devils looked the same. Even their food tasted the same!

Ugh, when would he let this go?

“Do you like it?” Mormo asked him between bites. 

“It’s great! I’ve had similar stuff before, but nothing so high quality. Is Cookie a professional chef?”

“She’s the royal cook, runs the palace’s kitchen and larder,” Hella explained. “She takes the occasional trip to brush on new human recipes for inspiration. When I told her I wanted a treat for my sister, she dropped everything! Hecate is quite fond of her—“

“Shut up.” Hecate growled without turning around. 

“That’s enough.” Mormo’s voice held an authority Mike had never heard before. He spoke to the two princesses like he was their father and, surprisingly, they reacted as if he was. 

Hecate stiffened and Hella snapped her mouth shut. She looked pissed off at her sister, but not her uncle. Mike struggled to understand the dynamic between the three. 

“We should retire to their rooms while we wait for Lady’s Sarah’s car to arrive.” Mormo phrased it as a suggestion, but they all it wasn’t optional. The devils filtered out, Lizi leaving without a word to Mike. She glanced back at him, apologetic, but didn’t wait for him to follow. 

Eventually everyone except Hella and himself were left in the kitchen. Hella poked at her half finished breakfast, then drew in a deep breath. 

“Mike, may I speak with you?”

“Uh, sure.” He caught himself looking back at the stairs in case Hecate was eavesdropping. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve enclosed this space with an illusion. To the outside, it looks as if the kitchen is silent and empty.”

“O--oh, right. What did you need, then?” He took a seat and resumed eating his own bento, pleased Hella had remembered the token human in the group. 

“It’s about my sister.”

“I figured.” Mike set his chopsticks down harder than he intended. They clattered loudly and he jumped and blushed. 

“She is… a difficult woman. A blind and deaf man would understand that after a mere few hours in her presence.” Hella paused, as if unsure just how much she wanted to say. 

“You’re pretty frank about how nasty she is.” Mike couldn’t help but point out. 

Hella chuckled. “She herself is equally frank in that regard. Hecate’s blood carries a rare attribute. It grants her extra speed, agility, and strength, at the cost of her patience.”

“So, you’re telling me her short temper is genetic?” Was that supposed to make him feel better? Genetics didn’t give you a pass for being an asshole. 

“In a way. I am not making excuses for her, but I ask that you keep in mind she was raised a warrior and knows very little else.”

“Then why send her to be the branch manager at a human office?”

“I—“ Hella faltered. “I am not sure. There is some things even I don’t know about our father’s affairs. He always has his reasons, no matter how cruel or opaque they may be.”

So, Hades had assigned his daughter a job he knew she’d hate at the very least, and fail at the worst. That a little justification to her perpetually poor attitude. 

“I guess I understand,” Mike answered at last. “It’s like being angry at a feral cat for scratching you. That’s just how it is.”

“Yes, exactly! I’m glad you understand, Mike. Please be patient with my sister, just as you would a terrified wild animal. Do not take her dislike of humanity personally.”

“That’s a little difficult when I’m the only human here,” he pointed out. 

“True, but I ask that of you nevertheless,” Hella smiled softly. Mike could feel the devil’s intense love and respect for her flawed sister. 

“Fine. I’ll try. And, Hella?”

“Yes, Mike?”

“Thanks for being open with me.”

***

Sarah called them shortly after Mike and Hella had parted way in the kitchen, saying to come down to the street. 

A silver passenger van sat parked in the loading/unloading zone. The driver’s side door opened and Sarah stepped out. 

She opened the sliding side door. “Please make yourselves comfortable. We shall depart shortly.”

Lizi, Mike, and Thoth took the back seat, Mormo, Coyote, and Hella the middle, and Hecate sat shotgun. Ever since returning from her room, she hadn’t said a word or even looked at anyone. It was as if she’d retreated to her own little world. 

“Is she ok?” Lizi whispered to Thoth.

Thoth shrugged. “Perhaps.”

This seemed to satisfy Lizi nonetheless. She leaned back into her seat and rested her head on Mike’s shoulder. They’d all applied their human disguises before leaving the penthouse. Mike found he liked both of Lizi’s appearances. One excited him with alien allure, and the other rooted him in comforting normalcy. He hoped they’d have sex again soon. 

She must have felt his thoughts, because twisted her head up at him and giggled. 

Thoth coughed and rolled her eyes. 

It took about two hours to arrive at the beach pavilion, mostly due to traffic. Sarah let them out and handed the van keys off to a valet. The young man looked bewildered as the devils filed out of the car. Human disguise or not, each was striking in their own way. 

“Look at the ocean!” {{we have changed locations, why yes}} Lizi cheered and took off towards the waterline. 

“Well, there she goes.” Coyote smirked. 

Was it Mike’s imagination, or was Coyote wearing an especially coordinated outfit today? He wore a tan t-shirt with a delicate mandala design in the bottom left side that radiated outwards. Over that, a pastel blue casual vest pulled the blues out of the blue and pink pattern of the shirt. A pair of washed out skinny jeans and leather flip flops finished off his impeccable look. Mike felt a little out of place in his own celadon t-shirt, classic blue jeans, and beach sandals, even though both their outfits featured similar articles of clothing. 

“Go watch over her, she _is_ your guest after all,” Thoth pushed gently on Coyote’s shoulder. He shrugged and followed. When he was out of earshot, she chuckled. “ _This_ will be interesting.”

“What will?” Mike turned to her.

“Yuuta won’t like it when he discovers his new secretary is attached to a beautiful young woman.”

“Yuuta?”

“Nevermind,” she gave him an almost sinister smile. “We’ll see how they fare, won’t we?”

“Uh, sure.”

The Graves’ human guide, Sarah, walked up to him and extended her hand. “We haven’t been formally introduced. My name is Sarah Graff, I am King Hades’ human liaison in this region.”

She looked like she’d walked right out of a 50’s library, with winged glasses, a thin, firm mouth, and arched brows. Despite being at a beach, she wore a simple button down shirt and a pencil skirt. No pumps though, just practical white beach sneakers. 

“Nice to meet you, Sarah,” Mike stuck out his hand and shook her hand. “I’m Mike Harris. I’m staying with the Graves.”

“You seem to have adjusted well.” Sarah looked almost suspicious. “My family has worked with the underworld royal family for generations. I was born into this role. But you…” she looked him up and down. “You are an average young man.”

“So I’ve been told.” Mike resisted the urge to grit his teeth. How many people were going to call him a normal person like it was some kind of insult?

“Please, don’t take that the wrong way. It was a compliment.” Sarah broke into a small but genuine smile. “Not many could handle any devil, let alone the middle princess of hell.”

He nodded, trying to put the way Sarah has linked him to Hecate out his mind. 

“Well, I shall help Mormo and Yuuta coordinate the event now, I believe. Have fun, Mr. Harris.” She waved and headed down the boardwalk to where Mormo, his pale skin almost glowing in the sun, and another tall, young man with tawny skin and slicked back dark hair. Next to Mormo’s devil-black, the human’s hair practically looked blond. He must be Yuuta.

Mormo attempted to engage his coworker in conversation, but Yuuta’s gaze never broke from two figures standing in the surf. Mike followed the look and saw the figures were Coyote and Lizi. Lizi’s earlier words came back to him. Was this the man she’d claimed Coyote should sleep with as soon as possible? Weren’t they coworkers? That seemed like a really bad idea. 

_Kind of like falling for the lady who hired you to clean her house._ A dark, nasty voice whispered in the back of his mind. It was true, though… He’d been well on his way to developing real feelings for Hecate. Thankfully, Lizi and alcohol had stopped him before he’d gotten too deep. Loving someone like that was like loving a vampire who wanted your blood every second of every day. Eventually you ran out and your partner looked elsewhere for their kicks. Like Meagan, for example. 

“Oh, stop brooding and go for a walk,” Thoth smacked his back as she passed, heading towards the pavilion already buzzing with event staff. 

She was right. There wasn’t anything he could do and Lizi and Coyote were locked in conversation. Judging by the situation with Yuuta, Coyote needed Lizi’s comfort more than he did right now. 

He opted for heading to the water line and walked down the beach, away from the party prep. The beach was already bustling and several giggling children dodged him as they raced the waves. Farther up, the sand turned to craggy rocks and visitors thinned. He came to a halt where the sand transitioned to rock and looked up. Perched on a boulder several meters away, Hecate crouched, staring at the sparkling waves. As they rolled in and crashed into the rock, her hair fluttered and sea foam misted her face. 

Thus, it took Mike several moments to realize that not all the moisture on her face was seawater. Hecate was crying. 

Panic set in as Mike realized just what was going on. Something told him this was very wrong and she needed help right away. How fast could he get back to Mormo and the others?

Before he could sprint away, Hecate sensed him and gazed over her shoulder with dull, dead eyes that had nothing to do with her human disguise. 

“Do not fret. I am quite alright.”

“You don’t look like it!” Mike tried not to shout. 

The ghost of a sad smile flickered at the corners of her mouth. “I am not physically injured, nor are my fighting capabilities diminished. Thus, there is nothing to fear. Please, return to the others now. My sister is coming to get you.”

Words failed him. Her definition of “alright” was not hurt and still able to fight? 

“That’s bullshit!” He spat. 

Her eyebrows rose in surprise, or maybe amusement. “I tend to agree, at times like this. Go back and don’t mention this to the others. They have enough on their minds.”

“So you aren’t ok, if you think they’ll be worried about you.” Mike countered, triumphant. 

Her face went blank. “You misunderstand. They will worry I cannot protect them if you tell some melodramatic story about a devil crying into the sea. You don’t understand a thing.”

Any sympathy he had for her vanished. “You’re right. I don’t understand anything. I don’t understand why you treat me like shit or why you are to mean to everyone around you.” He spun around and stalked back to the pavilion before she could respond. 

***

Out of sympathy, Lizi finally found a job for Mike. Together, they walked a cart of folding signs to the road and began to unfold them. The signs directed partygoers to their dedicated parking area, and warned off random families looking for a fun day at the beach. 

After arranging a dozen signs, Mike leaned against a boardwalk railing and looked at the water. Lizi lounged next to him, her shoulder bumping into his. He contemplated telling her about Hecate, not as a friend but a medic. 

“Is something on your mind, Mike?” Lizi turned to him, her hair fringed with gold in the sun. 

“No. Well, yes… I saw Hecate on the beach.”

“And?”

“She was crying. I think. Shit— she told me not to tell anyone.” Honesty was not always the best policy, as Kyle often reminded him. But, he couldn’t stop worrying about her. 

He’d expected Lizi to chide him for making a big deal out of a few tears. Instead, she stood with her head bowed in contemplation. 

“Thank you for telling me. For now, I’ll just watch her. There’s a lot going on, even though it may not look it.”

“People say that a lot.” The words came out more like a whine. He didn’t like feeling left out, but he hardly knew them, so what did he expect?

“Oh, Mike! Don’t take it personally.” Lizi grasped his hands in her own and brought them to her chest. “A war that’s gone on for hundreds of thousands of years is reaching a new era. The thing that attacked you at the shopping center is one of troops of Entropy, our enemy. She has billions of soldiers; they outnumber devils a {{thousand}} to one. 

“Hecate is the general of the underworld’s army. She wants to be home, strategizing and training her men.”

“If it’s so important, why visit the human world to play house?” 

“I’m… not sure. King Hades is a strange man. He never acts without reason but his reasons are not always clear. I think Mormo and Thoth know more but they won’t talk. And if they won’t tell me, the healer, then they wouldn’t tell you either. Do you see what I mean?”

“Huh. Yea, that makes sense,” he replied. He’d never considered that devils might have secrets from each other too. Lizi was probably just as frustrated as him. “If I want to know more about this war, who should I ask?” That was something he could do something about, at least. 

“Thoth. She’s a diety of wisdom and older than all of us combined. If anyone can give you an overview of the war, she can.” Lizi nodded vigorously. 

“Wait, you aren’t all the same age?”

“Goodness no!” She giggled. “Devil ages vary widely. Thoth is several thousand years old—she claims she forgotten the details—and I’m only 93!”

Mike’s mouth dropped open. “You’re… 93?”

She giggled louder. “Coyote is 201. We’re the babies of the group. Guess how old Hecate is!”

He took a wild guess. “400 years?”

“Hah! She’d be thrilled to hear it. Try twice that.”

“She’s 800 years old? Oh my god…”

“And Mormo is even older. Devils don’t always live as long as Thoth, but we all last longer than humans.”

“Wow…” He tried to take it all in. Hecate would have seen part of the Mongol invasion! Now her distaste of humans made more sense. They had to feel so small and insignificant compared to her friends and family.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Lizi squinted at him, frowning. 

“You always do,” he teased.

She huffed. “We don’t think you’re worthless, just because you’re mortal. At least, any devil worth their salt doesn’t. Devils need humans more than you need us, trust me.”

“Lizi… Thanks.” Mike leaned into her, savoring the warmth of their hands twined together. 

“No problem, Mike. Now, let’s get back to the group. I smell food!”

  


***

Sure enough, when they’d returned, the catering company had started to set up. Six vans filled with serving trays, utensils, and aluminum pans of covered food lined up on the gravel outside the pavilion. Folks in simple white button down shirts and tan or chocolate colored slacks scurried like ants, arranging buffet lines on long narrow tables at the edges of the seating area. Another company set up the large round dining tables, a projector and screen, and a pulpit with mic. They chatted with the more formally dressed workers as they passed each other. Clearly they often staffed events together.

“Are the signs up?” Hella asked as she noticed them return. 

“Yes, we’re here to sample the food!” Lizi winked. 

Hella rolled her eyes. “It’s not even ready yet. The catering is only handling the sides. Apparently there are these things called _food trucks_ arriving soon to handle entrees and deserts.”

“Oh!” Lizi grinned, thrilled to know something the older devil didn’t. “We’ve been to one. They are like a tiny kitchen inside of a large car. And they serve their food in metal wraps.”

“Err, not quite,” Mike interjected. “That was a burrito place. Not every place packages stuff that way… Though, a lot places use foil, now that I think about it. But not wrapped the same way…”

The two women just gazed at him, only half understanding. He felt his face tingle. 

“Anyways, maybe Mormo would know?” He rushed on. 

“Who is Mormo?” An unfamiliar voice asked. 

The three of them turned to find the man he’d seen earlier standing a few feet away, arms crossed, frown creasing his smooth features. 

“Mormo?” Hella stepped forward and lied smoothly. “We were referring to Miles, of course. Perhaps you misheard.”

The man did not look impressed but backed down. Even in her friendly, cheerful human disguise, Hella’s stance spoke for her. 

“If you wish to review the vendor list, I can have my secretary go over it with you. And you are…?”

Mike shifted on the balls of his feet. Something about the man made him nervous, like he was being sized up by a lion. If this was Coyote’s new boss, no wonder the devil was so flustered. Why on earth did he want to sleep with him though? Lizi must have misread the situation, because this guy looked ready to kill anyone who did more than obey or overpower him. 

“Mike Harris,” Lizi showed off her best placating smile. The man did not seem affected. Lizi’s brow twitched as she continued. “He’s Quinn’s cousin, who’s staying with us for a little while. He just moved here, you see.”

This seemed to convince him. Mike tried to commit this cover story to memory. No one had gone over anything with him. Had they decided on their own, or did Lizi just lie on the spot?

“I’m Yuuta Ito, staff manager for Solstice Digital’s southern California’s office. If you are Quinn’s cousin, I believe you know my secretary, Caleb.”

“Oh, yea. We’re all staying in the same place.”

For some reason Mike’s answer unsettled Yuuta. He skewered Lizi a calculating look. Even Hella looked a little nervous then. 

“I see,” Yuuta spoke in clipped tones. “Well, if you wish to go over the venders, please see Caleb. Otherwise, enjoy the picnic.” He stalked off. 

Mike thought Mr. Ito did not sound like he wanted any of them to enjoy anything. 

“Wow.” Lizi breathed. 

“I agree.” Hella whispered. “I haven’t met a nullifier in decades.”

“A nullifier?” Mike looked between the two women, both in states of shock.

“Ah, I apologize,” Hella said. “Nullifiers are rare humans who are immune to magic. Well, mostly. I suspect if Thoth really tried, she could do something. But none of else.”

“And he’s Coyote’s _boss?_ Oh gosh, I regret teasing him now…” Lizi looked so remorseful that Mike squeezed her hand. “Do you think he knows?”

“Probably not. Coyote’s magic is subtle and rarely used. Yuuta unsettles him, but he won’t know why.”

“Should we tell Mormo?”

“I suspect he already knows. If I recall, Coyote was assigned to Mormo in the first place. Yuuta doesn’t have the power to take an employee by force.” Hella nodded as she spoke. 

“What is he playing at, then?” Lizi snapped. “I swear he’s as bad his father sometimes.”

This prompted Hella to chuckle. “And his father is as bad as his brother. The men of the underworld are shifty fellows, the king’s blood especially.”

“I much prefer the women,” Lizi nodded vigorously. “They stick to the point. Must be Persephone’s influence.”

“Wait, Persephone, as in the greek myth?” Mike interjected, too curious to keep quiet. 

“Yes, she is my and Hecate’s mother, the goddess of spring. A wonderful woman, devoted to her husband but not afraid to take him to task when needed.”

Before Mike could pepper her with more questions, like how many myths were based in reality, Mormo shouted up from pavilion. 

“If you’re done gossiping, come down and sample the menu!”

“Well, we won’t figure out his motivations standing here. Come on, Lizi,” Hella held out her hand. “Let’s go.”

***

The sides from the catering company ticked all the boxes for a summer picnic: Mac and cheese, baked beans, potato salad, five gallon jugs of lemonade, corn on the cob and… Mike lost track eventually. They had enough to feed an army and the food trucks weren’t even here yet. 

“Just how many people are coming,” Mike asked Mormo.

“The office has 57 employees, and we assume each is bringing a guest, which is 114 people. There is an average of 1.8 children per employee, so we assume 103 children, for a total 217 projected guests. Previous management found attempting to calculate an exact attendance record and instead shoot for the average. Employees are welcome to take leftovers as well.”

That was a lot more detailed than he’d expected… “So what you’re saying is we’re going to need all this and then some.” 

Mormo nodded. “Hence the additional meal options.”

On queue, the first truck arrived: a boutique Mexican street food joint. Then three more, a kebab place, a cookie and ice cream shop, and finally a vegetarian only greek food truck. They parked on each side of the pavilion, followed by personal cars. Activity picked up again as the newcomers scrounged for power outlets and space to set up their propane tanks or generators. 

Mike looked at his phone. “11:31 PM. Starts at noon, right?”

“Correct.” Mormo looked past the trucks, towards the rocky area Mike had found Hecate in. “Where is she…” he mumbled. 

“Here, uncle.” Hecate sounded completely normal: confidant and a little bored. The shivering woman from before had vanished. “When do the activity rentals arrive?”

She was taking an interest in the proceedings? Mike tried to hide his surprise. 

Mormo seemed un phased. “They are scheduled between 1 and 2 PM. The venders include an inflatable structure for children, a curated scavenger hunt, and beginner surfing lessons. In addition, we have reserved the three nearest beach volley ball courts. Those are currently open. Employees were also encouraged to bring their own beach-related activities.”

Mike was a little overwhelmed with Mormo’s monologues at this point. He tried to tune it out and instead focused on Hecate, who stood near her uncle, nodding as he spoke. 

“Thank you, Miles. We have a quarter of an hour before the employees arrive. Please, take a moment to relax. We will have to greet them as they settle in.”

“Er, right.” Without the fallback of business talk, Mormo’s confusion showed. 

Hella and Lizi approached and pulled Mormo and Mike towards a volley ball court, begging for lessons. After roping in Thoth for their 4th, time passed quickly. Their game was interrupted by a thunderous explosion. 

  


***

_Earlier_

Yuuta clenched his hands so tightly his nails left half moon imprints on his palm. Caleb had shown up with a guest. Not just any guest, but a striking young woman with dark wavy hair and huge breasts. 

So that was how Caleb liked his partners. 

Instead of finding Yuuta immediately, Caleb and his girlfriend had vanished into the horizon for almost an {{hour}}. When he returned, he’d looked considerably more relaxed. 

When, at last, his secretary had deigned to join him, Yuuta was beyond angry. 

“I’m glad you finally remembered you are here as an employee and not as a guest.” Yuuta put every ounce of his rage into each word. 

Caleb flinched and looked away. Yuuta took a step closer, backing his secretary into the boardwalk’s railing. His hand twitched. Once again, Yuuta struggled with the impulse to grab the man’s chin and force him meet his eyes. 

“Who was the woman you came with?” He asked before he realized just how petty he sounded. “Someone interesting enough to ignore your responsibilities for, at least.”

“She’s just a friend!” Caleb’s voice raised an octave. More than enough confirmation his statement was a lie. 

“Really? Fine. Make sure your _friend_ understands from now on that you are here to work. Come with me, we need to check in with the caterers.”

Once again, Yuuta assumed Caleb would not follow. And, once again, he found his stomach twist when he heard footsteps behind him. He couldn’t explain why, but it pleased him a great deal. 

“Mr. Ito, pleasure to meet you again.” the woman who oversaw the catering smiled as they approached. 

“Mrs. Carver, I’m glad to see you too,” Yuuta extended his hand and they shook. Mila Carver had overseen the catering for the past four picnics. He always requested her when booking the party. 

“You’re office is always a delight to cater for. And I appreciate your support of me and my crew.” Mila had received at least one promotion due to Yuuta’s glowing reviews. 

“I simply call out excellent work wherever I find it.”

Was it his imagination or had Caleb snorted when he said that?

“Ah, allow me to introduce my personal assistant, Caleb Graves,” Yuuta stepped to the side.

“Hello, Mr. Graves.” Mila shook his hand and gave Yuuta a curious glance. 

“Caleb, please, Miss Carver,” Caleb inclined his head in a bow and broke into a dazzling smile. 

Mila’s cheeks colored at his flirting. Yuuta briefly saw red before collecting himself. How dare the kid flirt with a married staff member, in the middle of a company party!

“Yes, well,” Yuuta huffed, “we have several more things to coordinate before employees arrive, so please excuse us.” He grabbed Caleb’s hand and dragged him towards a quiet corner of the pavilion. 

“Let go! Yuuta! Hey!” Caleb said under his breath, trying not to make a scene. A few of the people setting up the chairs and tables looked at them as they passed. 

He yanked Caleb around the corner of the pillar and pushed him against the stuccoed surface. 

“What the hell, man!” Coyote swore, his eyes flashing. In the sun they looked golden with flecks of chocolate. 

“I could ask you the same thing. Flirting with a married woman at a company event? You’re beyond unprofessional. That’s just childish!”

“Oh, please. How repressed do you have to be to think smiling is flirting!” Coyote shot back, but his brows pulled together in guilt. 

So he _had_ been flirting!

“I will ignore that comment for now.” Caleb tried to open his mouth. “We have several more venders to meet with. I expect you to behave like an adult and not a horny teenager. In other words, try to keep in your pants.”

“You—“ Before Caleb could complete the insult, Yuuta spun on his heel and walked towards the event rental company’s coordinator. 

The rest of the introductions went smoothly. Caleb, to Yuuta’s great enjoyment, didn’t even look at a single person as he trailed behind. The kid could take instructions, at least when bullied. 

At 11:56 AM, everything was prepped and a couple families arrived early to stake out the best spots on the beach. Yuuta stood on the bottom step of the boardwalk that connected the parking lot and the beach, checking in on each of his employee’s families. James had brought his youngest daughter for the first time. Katie sat on a beach towel with her new husband and step children. Everyone seemed at ease, enjoying the sun kissed sand and gentle breeze. 

Yuuta felt so very out of place. 

He felt Caleb shift and lean against the railing, looking almost insolent. “Surveying the peasants?”

“If that’s how you see this, then you have a lot to learn. I am the staff manager. It’s my job to ensure my people are working at peak performance. I never stop evaluating them.” His answer came out colder than he’d expected. 

“I’m sure they love that,” Caleb retorted. “Anyways, if you’re done showing off, can we split up to eat?”

“Fine.” Caleb was already retreating when Yuuta spoke. 

His secretary made a B-line for the kebab trucks. Once he left Yuuta’s side, the man changed into a different person. His body relaxed and he smiled and joked with everyone he saw, strangers and co workers alike. 

Without realizing it, Yuuta had drifted closer, trying to overhear a snippet of conversation. Maybe Caleb would let something about his girlfriend slip. Speaking of which, where was she?

Something caught his attention behind the vehicle. A young man, probably an employee of the truck, lit a cigarette. What an idiot!

“Hey! Dude, what the hell!” But it wasn’t Yuuta who spoke, but Caleb. He’d noticed it too and pointed his finger at the smoker. 

“What? Leave me alone, fu—“

The world moved in slow motion. Red ashes from the cigarette crumbled and fell towards a pipe that connected the propane tank to the stove inside. A minuscule stream of white leaked from the juncture. 

Shit. 

“Caleb!” Yuuta screamed, leaping forward and grasping Caleb’s arm, pulling him back with all his strength. 

Yuuta grunted as Caleb’s full weight hit him in the chest and they both fell. Yuuta rolled over to protect Caleb’s back. 

The propane tank exploded.

***

The pavilion erupted in chaos. Hecate shed her disguise and leapt up the hill that lead to the parking lot, trusting Thoth would hide her actions. 

On the opposite side of the shelter, the mangled wreck of a metal cylinder served as the epicenter of a large gas fire. She took stock of her family members first. Coyote lay under a human from their office. Mormo and Sarah had been standing near her and both were safe. Lizi, Hella, and Mike hadn’t yet returned from their spots game, putting them several hundred feet away. Thoth stood directly to the left of the fire, face blasé. One human lay on the ground at her feet, the other two slumped over the food truck’s counter. Thoth noticed Hecate and gave her a nod and small wave. She’d protected them from fatal damage. Hecate flipped her a casual salute and started down the hill. 

Sarah had her phone out, presumably calling emergency services. Her voice wavered. “There’s been some kind of explosion. People are hurt! Yes. Pavilion A. Yes. No. Downed power lines? Er. No. Yes. Thank you. Please hurry.” She hung up. “The fire department is on their way.” 

“Thoth has saved the lives of the three humans,” Hecate noted. 

Sarah slumped onto a bench. “Thank God.”

“Hecate, we should assist in evacuation of the employees now.” Mormo pointed to his eyes and she took the hint, cloaking herself in the glamor spell again. 

People screamed and shoved trying to get away from the source of the panic. Hecate employed her best “general of the royal army” voice. 

“Do not run. Slowly make your way to your vehicles. If you are injured, congregate where Sarah Graff is standing and await medical attention. The authorities are on their way.” Her tone worked. The rush of the crowd slowed and they flowed between tables and up the stairs to the parking lot, holding their crying children. 

As they passed Mormo said, “if you saw how it started, please stay behind long enough to give your account to the police.”

As the crowd dissipated, only Thoth, Coyote, and four humans remained near the wreckage of the truck. Thoth’s spell compelled the three injured people to follow her towards the other wounded. Despite being closer to the blast, the human who’d pulled Coyote to the ground bore the worst damage of them all. 

“A nullifier?” Hecate asked curiously. 

“I suspected, yes.” Mormo confirmed. “Unfortunately, it also means he took the brunt of the blaze.”

Coyote regained consciousness. His eyes popped wide when he realized who lay over him. “Yuuta, what the fuck, get off—“ Canine senses kicked in, not that one needed a dogs nose to smell burned flesh, and the young godling realized what had happened. “He’s— Why didn’t Thoth protect him? Is he dead?”

Unable to use her own meager magic on him, Hecate checked the old fashioned way. “He has a weak pulse. Mormo, inform the medical personal this man requires immediate attention.”

“Yes, princess.” 

Hecate’s brows rose when she saw just how distraught Coyote was. His eyes sparkled with tears. 

“What an idiot. Why did he do that? And why didn’t Thoth—“

“Do you truly not understand what he is?” Hecate demanded. 

“What do you mean— Oh, no.” Realization dawned. Nullifiers were immune to magic. Offensive _and_ defensive. Meaning Thoth hadn’t been able to extend her protective spell to Yuuta. “He’s going to die,” Coyote almost wailed, apparently content to lay under the human for eternity.

“He won’t, Coyote!” Lizi skidded to a halt, her healer’s eye assessing the damage. “I know that Thoth and Hella will force his body to accept my magic. I just know it.”

“Bold claim,” Hecate arched her brow. She considered. “But, true. Those two are unstoppable when working together. He will live, Coyote.”

“Sir? Sir, we’re going to get him up now. Are you hurt?” Emergency medics bustled up to scene and spread their equipment around the two prone figures. With much grunting and cursing, Coyote managed to extract himself out from under Yuuta. The normally cheerful devil looked like a paper doll: hollow and grey. 

“Sir do you need anything?” One of the medics asked. 

“No. I’m fine. Please, just focus on Yuuta.” Coyote stepped back and leaned into Lizi’s waiting arms. 

The look on the medic’s face spoke volumes. Yuuta would not survive, short of a miracle. Coyote whimpered and Lizi chafed his arms and sung a soft lullaby. 

Yuuta groaned and regained consciousness. “Is he—“ He gagged. 

“Please don’t speak, sir!” The other medic implored. “Your friend is going to be ok.”

“Yuuta…” Coyote whispered. 

The human gazed on the devil wrapped in Lizi’s arms and actually managed a frown before passing out again. 

With nothing more to do here, Hecate sought out Sarah. They needed to follow the injured human to hospital and, once the doctors there had had their fill of failing to save his life, work on healing the man for real. 

Thoth jogged up beside her. “Can you please take over maintaining your disguise. I’m spread thin enough as it is and from what Hella said, it’ll only get worse.”

Hecate paused, not an able enough mage to take over the spell without her full concentration, and her glamor fell around her like a suffocating cloak. 

“Thank you.” Thoth’s voice sounded ragged and unguarded. Hecate suspected she was maintaining so many enchantments she’d forgotten more of them than she remembered. They would have to remain vigilant for an Ego attack until she’d recovered. 

“Hella will make herself useful after all,” Hecate tried for a smile. 

Thoth rolled her eyes. “And she’ll never let us live it down. I hope you’re ready to put your sister up for a while.”

“She could share a room with you.” 

“Absolutely not! She will share with you, thank you very much.”

Hecate resisted the urge to cackle. Thoth had one weakness: Hella, her brightest, and most beautiful, student. A student who was hopelessly in love with her teacher. It was the worst kept secret in the underworld. Thoth walked the fine line between continuing to draw out her pupil’s power and not leading her on. 

“Fine, fine. Now, give me a status report.” She ordered. 

“The three humans near the truck, excluding the nullifier, have serious but not life threatening injuries. All other guests only have minor abrasions and burns. The devils are, of course, safe, as is Mike.”

Hecate hid her sigh of relief. When no one had run up to her screaming, she’d assumed Mike was alive and well. But hearing it calmed her raging nerves. 

“Let’s send everyone home with Mormo. Hella, you, and Lizi shall accompany the nullifier to the hospital and figure out how to treat him and remain hidden.”

“I’m going too.” Coyote jogged up. 

“No.” Hecate turned towards him. 

“Please. He’s dying because of me!” More tears sparkled in his amber eyes, disguise forgotten.

“Nonsense. You did not throw him in front of you. He chose to take the blow.”

“But…”

“Oh, let him come, Hecate. He won’t get in the way and Lizi will be there to keep him sane,” Thoth argued. “And for Ra’s sake, please maintain your own spells, kid.”

Coyote grunted and his disguise solidified again, dulling his eyes to light brown.

Hecate heaved a sigh. “Fine. But if you cause trouble I am escorting you back personally.”

“Thank you. Hecate. Thoth,” he nodded to each of them, then returned to the ambulance waiting to take the human to a hospital. 

Hecate stuck her hands in her pockets and turned towards the water, gazing up at the sky. “Entropy’s made her first move.”

Thoth joined her. “It would seem so.”


	9. Chapter 9

***

The ride seemed to the hospital lasted for hours, when it was less than forty five minutes. The woman running the catering had offered to drive them in her sedan, rather than force Sarah to maneuver the bulky passenger van through traffic. They rode in silence. 

Mila dropped them off at the round about in front of the hospital. “Caleb? Here, take this.” She handed him a slip of paper, her eyes misty. “It’s my number. Please, let me know how… if he… just keep me updated.”

“Sure, of course.” Coyote didn’t understand why she was so invested in his boss. But something he’d noticed is Yuuta had seemed familiar with most of the companies working the event, to the point where they used each other’s first names. It was a side of him Coyote had never seen. 

“We’re looking for Yuuta Ito,” Thoth asked the front desk as Coyote walked in. 

“Ah, are you family of the patient?” The young man at the computer took in their motley group. 

“Yes,” Thoth lied. But unlike normal lies, hers became the truth simply because she willed it. 

“Oh, good.” The human accepted her words easily. “Please, fill out your names here so I can check you in. I’ll get you some badges. It looks like…” He tapped out some words on the computer and frowned. “Oh, he’s in surgery right now. In the burn unit…” The severity of their “family member’s” illness dawned on the administrator. “I’ll get those badges,” he said with a gulp. 

After receiving directions for the waiting area outside the operating room, the devils took the stairs. Hella hid their actions as they took the stairs five or six at a time, all but flying to their destination. 

“Here, 10th floor,” Thoth skidded to stop. “This way.”

Coyote had tuned out the instructions given at the front desk. He let Lizi drag him along, lost in his own thoughts. 

Yuuta hated him. Did he really jump in front of a fireball on reflex? That made Coyote feel worse, for some reason. 

“We’ve got a problem.” Hella stood outside the operating theater’s door. The red light indicating a procedure in progress buzzed. “He’s not going to survive the surgery if we don’t get in there.”

“They won’t let us walk into the operation,” Lizi pointed out. Her hands shook. 

“The best option you have is to end their work early. I cannot force magic onto him without time to concentrate.” Thoth spoke to Hella. 

“I can trigger a malfunction of some kind… No, they’d just rush him to another room. Perhaps I’ll simply trick the doctor’s eyes. I can’t use magic on Yuuta, but I can on those around him. They’ll believe the surgery was a miracle success and move him to a room.”

“Do it.” Her mentor ordered. 

Hella nodded. The air around her flickered as she cast a spell to render her invisible and pushed open the door. 

Twenty minutes she emerged, still invisible, the surgeon on her heels. 

She broke into a wide smile. “You’re cousin is stable.”

Even though he knew it was an illusion, Coyote breathed a sigh of relief. At least they could get at Yuuta in his hospital room. 

“Can we visit him in his room?” Thoth asked, already weaving another compulsion spell.

“Of course. Give us a few minutes to prep him. Go get a soda or something. Ask the attending nurse which room to go to when you get back.” The middle aged woman, her short hair still wrapped in a surgical cap, made a good natured shooing motion. 

They had no reason to disobey, so the devils took the doctor’s advice and located a vending machine. No sooner had they finished selecting their snacks then Hella’s brow twitched. “He’s heading to his room. Come on.”

Letting the magic, or rather, the lack of magic, guide her, they arrived at Yuuta’s room moments after the nurses had wheeled him. To hospital staff and visitors, the man slept peacefully. 

Only the devils saw the truth. As the nurses transferred him to the bed, he screamed, wounds raw and weeping blood. Coyote wanted to vomit. 

Lizi knelt at the opposite side of the bed, holding Yuuta’s hand, stroking it with maternal kindness. “I know it hurts, Yuuta. I’m sorry we have to do it this way. Please be patient.”

An elderly male nurse with tan skin and stark white hair smiled at her as he arranged the blankets around Yuuta. “You have a great bedside manner, miss. Mr. Ito is in good hands.”

She graced him with one her dazzling smiles and glanced at his ID card. “Thank you, nurse Carter. We’ll let you know if we need anything.”

Carter nodded and the hospital staff left the room. 

“First order of business,” Hella announced. The sounds outside the door faded into silence and the early evening sun faded to grey as the mage cast a privacy spell on the room. “Good enough,” she asked Thoth. 

Her teacher tilted her chin. “Can you maintain that will working with me?”

“ _Tsk_ ,” Hella clicked her tongue, a habit she’d learned from Hecate. “What do you take me for?”

“Hubris comes before the fall, Hella,” Thoth reminded, then closed her eyes. “Nullifiers do not block magic, per say,” she explained for Coyote and Lizi’s benefit. “They are merely a bottomless well into which power goes. The goal here is to fill that well with raw power faster than it can drain into the nether. Once he reaches a saturation point, Lizi can begin her work. Hella and I will channel as long as is required or until we exhaust ourselves.”

“What about your other spells?” Lizi’s eyes were dark with concern. Magical exhaustion fell under her purview as healer as much as flesh wounds did. 

“I warned Mormo I will be dropping all but the essentials. They are on orders to remain low profile for a time.”

“Fine.” The answer satisfied Lizi enough to let them continue. 

Coyote felt useless. “Can’t I help? Lend my power too?”

Hella shook her head. “You have so little, I doubt it would count as much as a bucket of water in the ocean.”

He tried not to look crushed. 

“If he wakes up, you must comfort him. He knows you best. This will likely be…exceedingly painful.” Thoth added. 

“Ok. Let’s go, then.”

The sensation of magic pressed in on Coyote, making his entire body vibrate. Even his bones seemed to shiver at the massive influx of power as two of the most powerful living devils poured their sizable reserves into Yuuta. Their plan was incredibly reckless. As far as he knew, they were inventing a new technique at this very moment. The consequences of failure was uncharted territory.

“Is it working?” He whispered to Lizi.

“I don’t know yet… wait! I feel it. It’s like a pot starting to boil.”

Yuuta regained consciousness. His eyes opened wide. “Wha— Where am I? Caleb?” He realized who was holding his hand and looked at Lizi with bewildered eyes. “Why is your girlfriend here?”

“My what?” 

“I’m his cousin, Mr. Ito. And a nurse. I’m here to help you get better.”

Yuuta tried to shake off her hand. 

“What are you doing, idiot? Let her help you!” Coyote snapped. He dragged another chair next to Lizi’s and laid both his hands over his. “Stop fighting and relax, for once. You’re always too tense.” He smiled wistfully. 

This seemed to calm Yuuta down. He let his hand relax. Lizi wrapped her hands around Coyote’s and resumed her vigil. “There! I can work now!” She shouted. 

“Work quickly,” Thoth gasped, like she was speaking through sap or quicksand. 

“Right.” Lizi nodded vigorously. 

A different kind of energy ebbed through the room, floating on the moat created by Thoth and Hella. Lizi’s magic was special, even among other healers. She did more than knit flesh and purge infection. The mood goddess’s power seeped into your soul, mending what you didn’t know what broken. She wrapped you in boundless energy, like a mother’s embrace: gentle and unconditional. Coyote had only felt her true power once before, when he’d failed his first vision quest. He still dreamt of that moment. 

Yuuta’s body relaxed as Lizi worked. The nurses had laid him on his side and Coyote watched in wonder as the his ravaged flesh smoothed and turned the healthy pink of mending wounds around the edges. The entire procedure was done in roughly ten minutes. 

“Done!” Lizi shouted and fell back her chair. Yuuta’s wounds still needed days or weeks of modern medicine but his life was no longer at risk. 

“Someone needs to modify the staff’s memory so he receives the proper care,” Thoth panted. 

“Already taken care of. Here they come.” Hella said, equally breathless. 

The door opened and the same nurse as before rolled a metal cart of supplies into the room. 

“It’s time to change his dressing. Probably best if you leave,” Carter smiled reassuringly. 

The rest filed from the room. Coyote lagged behind. “How are his wounds?” He wanted to test Hella’s work. 

“Serious, but he will live. Skin grafts take time and he has a long way to go before he can be up and about.”

That had to be enough. The devils couldn’t do anything else here. Coyote doubted Thoth and Hella could even get home without help. 

He followed the others downstairs to the lobby where they waited for Sarah to pick them up. 

***

In light of the picnic disaster, the entire office opted to close for two weeks to allow any injuries to heal and families to cope with the emotional ramifications. Hecate looked forward to her freedom, selfish as it was. 

Thoth and Hella became her top priority. The fools had all but killed themselves helping Lizi heal the human known as Yuuta Ito. Of course Coyote had to grow attached to a nullifier with significant depth. 

Hecate’s magic was, in a word, pathetic. She couldn’t maintain more than her disguise, the cost of any other magic. As much as she wanted to rest on her laurels, the group needed her. Without anyone strong enough to open a portal left in the penthouse, Thoth and Hella opted to recover the old fashioned way. Lizi hid her own discomfort and tended to them all hours of the day. Mormo desperately wanted to scold the girl for putting others before herself, but Hecate had denied him. 

“She’s an adult now. Let her find her own limits,” she’d said. 

Since she was only good for fighting, Hecate made use of the time in other ways. While the rest licked their wounds, she began going out on elaborate patrols. It helped that Lizi and Mike’s relationship seemed to have reached a new level of… activity. 

Instead of moping, Hecate noted places where Entropy’s taint seemed strongest, ideal ambush locations, and escape routes. As an unexpected bonus, she also located two weak spots that lead to the shadow world, both within five miles of their home. Entropy’s troops didn’t need weak spots to get into the human world, but the thinner the barrier between dimensions, the easier it was for devils to pass through without needing an Ego as an anchor. In a pinch, even Hecate could force her way through. She hated the shadow world but one never knows when they’d need to take the fight to Entropy’s realm. 

After six days of spending mere hours in the house for a nap before setting out again, Mormo finally cornered her. 

“Leaving again?” He asked as she passed by the kitchen area. 

“Of course. What else am I supposed to do?”

“Check up on those under your command, perhaps?” He said dryly. 

“Lizi will inform me if anything is amiss.”

“Has is occurred to you that they want to hear from you directly?” Mormo’s voice softened. 

Hecate just sighed. “I assure you, my direct presence does nothing. If they are agitated, inform them I’ve mapped ninety percent of the area within ten miles of this building.”

“You are more than a tool to us, princess. Please… remember that.” Mormo opened his mouth to say more, then thought otherwise. 

Her heart ached. He always tried to make her feel better like this. It hurt more than it helped, but it was also the only thing he _could_ do, so she tolerated it. If she allowed herself to believe they saw her as more than a barely tamed animal, it would render her plan impossible. So, she did her best to remain respectful and distant, so that when the time came her comrades would easily recover. The human world had changed her far too much, leaving her vulnerable to emotions she couldn’t afford. Going back to the basics of training and patrols grounded her back in the reality she’d tried to escape. 

“I know, cousin. But this is how I can help, so please let me.” And she stepped out the door. 

***

Mike tried to understand what he’d heard. Did Hecate really believe they saw her as some kind of weapon of war? How stupid could you get. The other devils obviously loved and respected her, flaws and strengths and everything in-between. Her isolation was completely self imposed. 

Mormo turned and waved at him from where he was peeking around the doorframe to the balcony. 

“I know you worry for her.” He began. “Hecate does what she knows is best.”

Mike nodded. “I’m not worried about _her._ It just feels like she’s being an idiot that makes things harder for everyone else.” 

Mormo’s eyes went wide as dinner plates, then he snorted and tried to suppress laughter. 

Mike didn’t care. He was just so angry at her. She hadn’t bothered to check on his since the disaster even _once_. As soon as they got back, she vanished and only returned to sleep. She’d spoken maybe a dozen words to them all. Meanwhile Thoth and Hella fought for their lives, twined on the bed in Thoth’s room like lovers, shivering or sweating constantly. Lizi spent most of her time trying to calm them, but she could only do so much. 

When she had time to herself, she fell into his arms and they slept together. Quite a lot, actually. It seemed to be the one thing that revitalized the healer. If he could help that way, he was more than glad to. Coyote spent all his time locked in his room, brooding over Yuuta presumably. Meanwhile, Hecate couldn’t be bothered to even have a meal with them. 

“Oh, come on Mormo, I give you permission to laugh,” an alto voice called from above. 

“Hella!” Mike turned and waved. “How is Thoth?”

Hella blushed, which on an underworld devil just looked like normal human coloring. “She is cleaning up and will be down shortly. I know she wants to hear Hecate’s reports.”

Lizi bounded down the stairs and hugged Hella from behind. “I’m so glad you’re both up. Never scare me like that again!”

The devil princess wrapped her arms around Lizi’s and hummed happily. Mike bit down on a pang of jealously. Outside of sex, Lizi didn’t treat him any differently than the other devils. It’s not that he wanted to be special to her, specifically. Just special to someone. Anyone. 

“Should I call her back?” Mormo asked. 

“Yes, please. Thoth is coming down now.” 

Sure enough, the soft click of a door heralded Thoth’s descent. Hella avoided Thoth’s curious gaze and they all sat in the living room. 

“Lizi, please go get Coyote before he drowns in his own tears,” Thoth said offhandedly. 

“Right.” 

It took her several minutes, but Lizi convinced Coyote to join them, just as Hecate walked in the door. 

“Mormo tells me you’ve been busier than hound with a bone, Hecate. Tell me.” Thoth leaned forward in her seat, like she was excited or something. 

“Are you well enough?” Hecate countered. 

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m well enough to listen. You have my word I won’t rush off and do something stupid.”

“Fine.” She faced the group at large. “My patrol encompassed ten miles around this building. I have found two entrances to the shadow world, one 3.1 miles north north east, the second 8.7 miles due south. The closer one is weaker.”

“That’s significant,” Thoth interjected. “Easy place to get in, if we need it.”

“Exactly. I have identified 203 ambush locations worth noting, spread evenly around the radius, with additional density around arterial roads. An addition, I do not feel significant Ego clusters. 

“As such, I deem the immediate area, including the Solstice Digital office, safe for general travel. When either of you are well enough, I will mark several locations on the map that require someone with greater magical appetitude to check for hidden parasites. There’s no rush, though. I would have felt anything significant enough to cause damage.”

“So,” Hella continued, “at this time you don’t feel we need to find a new residence.”

Hecate considered her sister’s question carefully. “Correct. We can stay here unless our assessment changes.”

Mike tried not to show his awe. This was the master strategist in action. She hadn’t spent the last six days lazing around and avoiding everyone. Instead, she’d memorized and evaluated a huge chunk of the city. 

Their eyes met and Hecate actually flashed him a subtle smile. His heart did a cartwheel. 

“Well, with that settled, I say we eat,” Hella announced as she stood. “Cookie gave us enough for leftovers.”

The conversation shifted from tactics to lunch as the devils took their seats at the table. Hecate and Hella set about unloading the food, while Lizi used her magic to turn leftovers into fresh meals. 

“Don’t push yourself.” Hecate had her hands on her hips. 

Lizi scuffed her feet. “I’m fine.”

Instead of arguing, Hecate just looked at her sister, who nodded.

“Hmm,” Hecate responded and let the matter drop. 

Mike silently thanked Hella for putting their minds at ease. 

“I’m not hungry,” Coyote rose from his place. 

“Wait!” Lizi said sharply and followed her friends retreat back to his room.

“Well, at least he came out at all,” Thoth shrugged.


	10. Chapter 10

***

The days sped by. Hecate still most of her time out of the house, but now Thoth accompanied her as they worked through her todo list of spots that needed a mage’s eye. The situation was manageable for now. Moving to a new residence when both their mages were so exhausted wasn’t an option. They had no bandwidth for amount of up front work required to build defensive spells. And she knew Thoth wouldn’t trust work done by anyone but herself.

Monday morning dawned and their home buzzed with activity as the devils prepared for work. Mike sat on the couch looking forlorn. Hecate did her best to ignore him. His foul mood had only marginally improved once Thoth and Hella had woken up. According to Thoth, his frustration was her fault, but when she’d pressed for information, Thoth had refused to clarify. For someone who disliked her, he seemed incessantly concerned with her behavior. 

After the moment on the beach, Hecate had attained a limited kind of clarity. Mike’s path and her’s different on a fundamental level. One day, their expedition would end and he would return to a human life, a hefty income curtesy of Solstice Digital the only keepsake of his time with devils. 

Not that they were making progress on that particular front. Whenever she pressed Thoth or Mormo for leads on a possible errant demon, they brushed her off. At first she’d trusted them, but after so long Hecate suspected they were hiding something. Hades may have hoped living and working among humans would convince her to lay down her weapons and live a peaceful life. 

As if. Her job was to protect her loved ones and her kingdom, not rot in retirement. Besides, if she had planned to take the coward’s way out, she wouldn’t do it in the human realm. 

Devils mistook Hecate’s behavior as dislike for humans and she allowed them to believe that, because it was easier to explain than the truth. 

Humans were just so fragile. An ego could kill even the strongest human alive in a matter of minutes and a simple miscalculated action on her part could do just as much damage. The wild beast of the royal family had no place around such delicate creatures. But the moment she brought up her unofficial title by way of explanation, everyone was so quick to defend her, insist it wasn’t true, that no one felt that way. 

She knew otherwise. Hecate had overheard enough midnight gossip in the barracks and hallway exchanges to know even her most loyal captains kept her at arms length. They were, rightly so, afraid of what she might do if she lost control. Her sisters and parents could afford to close their eyes to the truth, but she could not. 

And that was she’d chosen to fully accept her role. When Hella and Dionysus took lessons in etiquette, history, human anthropology, poetry, and music, Hecate trained with devils twice or three times her age. By the time Dio chose music as her calling, and Hella magic, Hecate had known her path for centuries. She wanted nothing to complicate the life she’d planned. 

“Are you ready, princess?” Mormo asked as they loitered around the dining room table, the remains of scrambled eggs and toast spread across the surface. Hella had cooked it using Cookie’s recipe. 

“Yes.” Hecate cast a glance at Mike, still sulking on the sofa. “When has Sarah planned the welcome back event for Mr. Ito?”

“Friday night,” Mormo pulled out his phone and tapped through to calendar. Everyone except her used their phones constantly now. “I believe Coyote is bringing him some material to read during this week.”

“Wait, I am?” Coyote squeaked. He hadn’t seen Yuuta since that day in the hospital. Hecate regretted she had missed her sister’s magic in action. Lizi reported it was as breathtaking, as always. 

“You’re his assistant,” Thoth pointed out. She kept her voice neutral.Now that they knew what Yuuta was, no one had the heart to tease him. 

For once Hecate had the advantage over the others. Nullifiers were immune to magic used on and around them, but pure physical conditioning and combat skill didn’t count as magic. When nullifiers created an ego, the egoshared the same traits as their host, making null egos one of the most dangerous in Entropy’s tool box. Thoth insisted Yuuta wasn’t carrying an Id and his soul was strong enough to resist infection, so Hecate spared his life. For now. 

“I guess. Fine, I’ll go this afternoon,” Coyote assented.

“Thank you,” Mormo smiled cheerfully. Hecate still suspected he’d known about Yuuta early on and threw Coyote to the sharks intentionally. She couldn’t fathom the minds of underworld royals. 

“Let’s get going,” Hecate ordered as she picked up the small work bag Mormo kept stuffed with paperwork for the office. Not that she’d ever read it. 

The devils crowded into the elevator after saying their goodbyes to Mike, who’d started to look a little bewildered. 

***

Coyote stood in front Yuuta’s room at the hospital. He did not want to be here. He’d pick training with an angry Hecate for a hundred years over walking in there. Sadly, she hadn’t given him that option. 

“Going in?” 

Coyote jumped as a reserved young woman in scrubs gestured towards the closed door. 

“Er, yea.”

“I need to change his bandages, if you wouldn’t mind waiting a few moments,” she explained. 

“Sure, just let me know.”

He took a seat, hoping for a nice, long reprieve. 

The nurse, unfortunately, was skilled and finished in a matter of minutes. 

“All yours.” She smiled and rolled her cart down to the next room. 

Coyote took a deep breath and walked through the open door. 

“Yuuta….” His voice cracked. 

Everyone had assured him the human was out of danger and that he’d make a full recovery. 

If that was true, why did Yuuta look so pale and gaunt? 

“Have they even been feeding you?” Coyote snapped then gasped. He had _not_ meant to say that out loud. 

One brow rose as Yuuta regarded him coldly. “That’s your first question?”

“You just look so—“ He shut his damn mouth before he could say something else embarrassing. This was going worse than he’d expected. 

“What I look like, Caleb, is a man who struggled to live for days after risking his life for someone who couldn’t be bothered to visit _once_ in two weeks.”

Coyote couldn’t exactly argue with that. It’s just… what are you supposed to say in this situation? _I would have lived regardless because I’m not human, but you almost died, you idiot!_ Or _you got hurt because of a freak genetic mutation that, by the way, makes it impossible for to use my magic on you. Because, I’m not human. Also, my fearless leader wanted to kill you at first._

Nope.

So he went with a version of the truth. “Two of my family members were seriously injured. We had to care for them too.”

“It’s too bad you weren’t in the same hospital or anything. I was only an elevator ride away.”

Coyote started to try and spin the truth again when he realized—

“Are you… pouting?” He asked Yuuta. 

“Nonsense,” he replied, a little too quickly. “Just know that with this kind of gratitude, I won’t be saving you from anymore fire balls. Now, what is that?” Yuuta pointed to the bulky folder of documents. 

“Miles thought this was enough to keep you occupied for the week. They’re planning a party for you Friday evening.”

“Bring it here.” Business Yuuta emerged, the sulking grump from before gone. Coyote brought the documents over and handed them over. “Oh, no you don’t. The least you can do is help me organize there.”

With those words, Yuuta reached out and grasped Coyote’s free hand. The bedridden man showed surprising strength as he pulled Coyote down to sit on the edge of the bed. The trickster devil’s heart flipped a dozen times over. The documents fell onto Yuuta’s lap as Coyote tried to steady himself with his other hand. In the end, he found himself leaning over Yuuta, staring into his burnt amber eyes, one hand on each side of the human’s hips.

Eyes burning with hungry passion. Coyote felt like the prey he hunted in his animal form: small, helpless, and delicious. Yuuta held all the cards. Even though Coyote wasn’t in the habit to using his magic on random people, the fact that he _couldn’t_ only made Yuuta more dangerous. And somehow, appealing. What did it feel like to be hunted, he wondered?

Coyote caught himself staring at Yuuta’s lips. They looked firm and soft, a juxtaposition just like everything about the man. Coyote leaned closer. The best way to find out was to—

“Get off me.” Yuuta’s voice was cold and when Coyote opened eyes he didn’t know he’d closed, his boss’s face was impassive. 

The situation gave Coyote whiplash. Just a second ago, he swore Yuuta wanted to have sex on a hospital bed on top of memos and paperwork. Now he looked ready to kick Coyote in the crotch. If only he could use his magic and delve into the man’s head!

Without any other option, Coyote went on the defensive. “Then next time, maybe don’t yank me around like a rag doll. Let me get these,” he said as he bent over the bed to gather up the strewn paper. 

“I’ll get it. Go back to work and try to find something useful to do.”

“But—“

“I’m not an invalid. I’ll handle it.” Yuuta’s body stiffened. 

“Right. Whatever.” Coyote fumed and he stalked from the room, almost slamming the door behind him, if not for a stern look from the nurse. 

***

“Are you coming to the party too, Mike?” Lizi asked. 

Mike shook his head. “It’s at the office, right? Doesn’t make sense to let an outsider in. Wait, are you going?”

Lizi put her hands behind her back and scuffed the ground with her foot. “It depends. If you’re staying home then maybe I should to.”

“That sounds like a lot more fun than hanging out in an office of people we don’t know.” Mike reached out and patted her forearm. 

Hella turned around from her task at the stove. “Well, if you’re both staying, then I’m going. Yuck, you guys.” But her teasing lacked bite. Hella seemed to care for Lizi like a sister. Mike was honored he’d received a princess’s seal of approval. 

“That’s fine, if you’re supposed to be a new employee anyways,” Thoth noted from her position on Hella’s left. 

She chopped a mound of white onions without looking, dropping handfuls into the massive wok Hella was stirring. They seemed to enjoy cooking together. As much as Mike liked Lizi as a sexual partner and friend, he missed the simple domesticity of a long-term relationship. 

“What’s that?” Lizi peeked over Hella’s shoulder. “Another of Cookie’s recipes?”

“Not this time! Thoth has been showing me how to use my phone. I found this online and decided to make a bigger batch.”

Just how many batches was she making at once, to need so many ingredients?

“So that’s why the entire house reeks of onions,” Hecate complained as she descended the stairs. 

Since the party, she’d changed. Her temper seemed more even and her actions more premeditated. No one else had mentioned it, either because they didn’t notice or didn’t want to offend her. Her poor temper was one of her signature traits, after all. She still griped and ordered people around, of course, but her predatory instincts were absent as of late. It concerned Mike but he didn’t know how to bring it up. He couldn’t put his finger on why it worried him either. Surely a more level-headed Hecate was a good thing, right?

“Just you wait, we’re moving onto the peppers now,” Hella crowed. 

“Ugh. Anyway, if the event is tonight, then why on Olympus are you cooking dinner already?”

“Well, I figured that we’d all want an easy meal tomorrow, and leave a little something for the lovebirds— ouch.”

Hella grunted as Thoth kicked her in the ankle. 

Hecate seemed nonplussed. “Fine.” She wandered off to the balcony. 

“How much longer until we have to leave?” Hella asked Thoth. 

“We have two hours. Management, that is to say: us, will be picking Yuuta up from the hospital and delivering him at the office a few hours before the party. {{the timing of all this needs work}}

They focused on cooking then, creating several piles of raw ingredients and cooking them in batches, moving each to a large plastic container. All but one went into the freezer. 

“This,” Hella said as she held up one container, “is for tonight, you two.” 

“Thanks, Hella!” Lizi nodded. 

“It’s time for us to get going,” Thoth announced. 

The devils moved towards the door, an organized circus, directed by Thoth and Mormo. They were almost parental at times, though Thoth looked young enough to in college. 

Lizi opted to go with them to the hospital, to assess Yuuta’s condition. She would return home before the party. 

By eleven thirty, the penthouse echoed with silence. Mike sat on the couch, suddenly and unaccountably lonely. 

So, he called Kyle. 

“Hey.”

“Wow, Mike! Long time no see. How are you.” Kyle’s voice sounded a little forced. Mike’s throat closed. Was Kyle angry at him?

“You free for lunch today?” He asked through his panic. 

“Yea, of course. Let’s meet at Twisted Peel, ok? I’m hardcore craving pizza.”

“Sounds good. See you in fifteen.”

Mike hung up and pulled on his new tennis shoes. Once he’d felt comfortable going out again after the mall attack, he’d bought more stuff at smaller, closer boutique stores. It’s not like he couldn’t afford it and Thoth had explained her protective spells were stronger the closer he stayed to the penthouse. 

Twisted Peel still had tables this early, so Mike sat and waited for his friend. 

Kyle sauntered in the door a few minutes later and sat across from Mike at the small corner table.

“Wow, dude, you look great.” Kyle grinned. All of Mike’s fears evaporated. 

“Wait, were you expecting otherwise?” 

“Well… Yea, I guess. But, like, you look great. I’d make a joke about sex but that would be super gross.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Too late now. And yes, to answer your obvious question, yes, there is great sex involved.”

They’d always been frank about their sex lives. No gossip, just honesty. It wasn’t taboo between them and at this moment Mike appreciated that especially. He wanted to talk about Lizi. 

“Have I met her?”

“Yea, she’s one of the Graves. The one with long wavy hair and big eyes. Li— Meagan.” Mike realized now how awkward that was to someone who didn’t know the truth.

“Dude. You’re sleeping with another Meagan? Should I be worried.”

Argh. How did he dig himself out of this hole with spinning an elaborate lie for his friend. “Well, the thing is she prefers to go by her middle name, Elizabeth. Everyone calls her Lizi.” Good enough. 

“Oh, cool. She looks like a Lizzy.” Kyle relaxed. 

“Were you really that worried about me?” Mike couldn’t help but ask. He’d been teased often growing up for being too sensitive, but he was who he was.

“Yea, of course! You lost your job and Meagan cheated on you in the _same damn day_ , and then you vanish into some rich mobs family penthouse for a month {{timing adjustment?}}

“If you were so worried, why didn’t you call?” Mike tried not to sound hurt. 

“Ugh, see, I knew you were going to do that. I wanted to call you twenty times a day but Heather said that if I helicopter parented you, she’d throw my phone in the ocean. Something about you being an adult with free will and a cell phone, blah blah.”

“I think I understand where she was coming from,” Mike admitted. The fact that Kyle had listened to her and not trusted his gut stung. 

“She was trying to help.” Kyle looked down at the paper placemat printed with a hand drawn menu. “Look, let’s go order.”

Mike left his light jacket on the back of his chair. They went to counter, ordered four slices of pizza and a side of garlic bread, and Mike paid for both of them. Number in hand, they sat in awkward silence. 

“Look, about Heather—“ Kyle started. 

“Stop. Really. If I were any other guy, she would have been right. And maybe she was, in a way. I had a lot to process and getting thrown in with the Graves was very distracting….” He couldn’t very well say he’d spent some of that fearing for his life. 

“I know you liked that job, but maybe we can spend more time together now?”

Until that moment, Mike hadn’t realized just how much his old job had consumed him. Trying to stay one step ahead of Gabe, while still completing his work had left him with almost no bandwidth for anything other than Netflix with Meagan and the occasional weekend party. 

He’d been growing apart from Kyle for months. Heather’s recommendation made more sense now. 

“Yea. Yes, for sure. Things were pretty busy at the penthouse, uh, Helen’s sister moved in, and then there was explosion.”

At that moment, the owner of Twisted Peel, Vinny, plonked their order down and spent the next ten minutes making small talk. Kyle just sat there with his mouth open while Mike carried the conversation. Once Vinny left, he smacked the table. 

“Excuse me? Explosion?! What the hell are you— Oh my god, you are saying _you_ were at that beach party all over the news a few weeks ago?”

“Yea… I didn’t get hurt though!”

“Still! Why didn’t you call me? I thought it was a corporate party, so it didn’t even occur to me you’d be there.”

“It was corporate,” he explained. “The Graves work at Solstice Digital. Some idiot smoked near a leaky propane tank.”

Kyle’s face was white at the paper menu now stained with grease and his pizza sat untouched. “I can’t believe it… I don’t care how many phones I have to buy, you clearly can’t be trusted on your own!”

“It’s not a big deal…” How did he explain that gas explosions were the least of his worries? That a duo of powerful mages protected him? And if he was going to die, it would be to a supernatural parasite born from people’s negative motions, right out of an anime?

For a long moment, Kyle looked at his friend, staring into his eyes, assessing his expression. Then he sighed. “Ok. I don’t know why, but I trust you. It’s scary to hear, as your friend, but you really do believe you were going to be ok and you obviously aren’t covered in burn scars.”

“Thanks. It’s hard to explain, but I never worried for my safety.”

“I guess the Graves all moonlight as EMTs and firefighters,” Kyle joked. 

“That’s… actually that’s not far from the truth.” Lizi at least was an accomplished healer, while Thoth and Hella could save lives the same way a fire or police man could. “Lizi is a nurse and Quinn and Helen’s sister have experience with disaster management.”

“That’s awesome! So, tell me about Lizi. Is she your Florence Nightingale?”

“Uh, no, because I wasn’t hurt at all,” Mike laughed, glad Kyle was back to normal. “She spent a lot of time at the hospital helping one of the employees. He got pretty burned but she said he’ll completely recover.”

“Lame.” He declared. “Ok, so, is this thing with Lizzy serious?”

Mike struggled to explain. “Yes and no. We’re not romantic, but we’re compatible in bed. And good friends.”

“Does _she_ understand that, though?” Kyle pressed. 

“Yea— I mean, I think she does.” The idea that Lizi might feel something deeper hit him like a train. “Oh, shit.”

“Yea, saw that coming.” Kyle rolled his eyes. “You need to sort that out ASAP. Especially if you want to keep living with them.”

“Good point.” For a moment, Mike got lost in his thoughts, until Kyle pulled him above water.

“So, you coming to our engagement party?” 

“Of course. When is it?” Mike pulled out his phone and opened the calendar app. 

“Three weeks from today. Starts at 4pm for close friends, 6pm for the peasants. You, however, get to come at 3 and help us set up.”

“Yea, I think I’m busy that day,” Mike made a show of putting his phone down. 

“I’m sure you are, Mr. Unemployed.”

“Hey, I’m employed. Housekeeper, remember?”

Kyle just shook his head and laughed. 

They finished their pizza over friendly banter about video games and tv shows. Kyle returned to work and Mike headed home. 

While he was thrilled to have reconnected with his best friend, Kyle’s warning about Lizi rung like a bell in his mind. He hoped she was home already. 

***

While she wasn’t home when he arrived, Lizi arrived an hour later, having given Yuuta a clean bill of health. 

It was too early to try Hella’s stir fry, so Mike opened a beer instead. 

“Want one?” He asked Lizi. 

She waved her hand. “No, I’m good. If I drink I’ll just go right to sleep. I tried to heal Yuuta more and it took a lot out of me. Thoth and Hella got really mad.”

“Well, of course they did!” Mike’s nerves thrummed with concern. He’d seen first hand the devastation Yuuta Ito’s strange trait caused. “You could have hurt yourself!”

“I was careful. I wanted to see if his body would accept my magic, since we’d used it before. Didn’t work.” Regret painted her features. As a healer, not having the ability to heal someone must hurt. 

Mike patted her shoulder and pulled her down onto the wicker sofa on the balcony. “The fact that you healed him at all was amazing. Thoth and Hella laid the foundation, but the heaving lifting was all you. At least, that’s what Coyote said.”

“Flatterer,” Lizi giggled as she sank into the cushions. “Now, why don’t we stop stalling and talk about what’s on your mind?”

Damn. Mike groaned. “I was trying to be subtle.”

Lizi turned to face him, her eyes sparkling. “Mike, you are many things but subtle is never one of them. It’s part of your charm.”

“Ugh, thanks for that. There goes my man of mystery persona…”

“Mike.”

“Right, ok. Lizi, do you have feelings for me?”

“Oh, gosh, is that all?” She chuckled. “Your friend, Kyle, made you worry, didn’t he?”

“How did you know—“

“You smell like pizza and you’re not someone who eats out alone. And we were all at the hospital.”

“Oh. Right. Well, do you?”

“Mike, do you know what an empath is?”

“Sure.”

“Well, I’m an empath. In the fantasy magical sense. I know what other people are feeling, even when they aren’t sure themselves. I’ve always known we wouldn’t be romantic.”

“Does that bother you?”

“Hmm.” She contemplated. “No. I never had any expectations to begin with and I think you are… well, it’s hard to explain. I think your destiny lies elsewhere but no one can be sure just where that ‘elsewhere’ is yet. Not even Thoth.”

“That’s scary.” He was just Mike. A simple guy, not a star of fate or the promised hero. Just Mike. So why did her words feel so true in his gut?

Lizi hugged him. “I know. But that’s the thing about fate. It’s scary but it just kind of happens and you cope as you go along. I don’t know what your destiny is but I do know we’ll all be here to support you.”

“Why though? I’m just a human with shitty luck.” No matter how many times he tried, he could never wrap his head around their reasoning. 

“Because Hecate wants to protect you.” Lizi drew back and looked at him like she’d just had to explain water wet. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“She hates humans,” he spat with more venom than he intended, instantly regretting how petty he looked.

“She doesn’t.”

“Her own sister said she hates humans.”

“Hella is a wonderful woman and an insanely skilled mage. But she isn’t an empath. But… It’s not my story to tell. Just know that Hecate’s ‘hatred’ of humans is more complicated than it seems.”

That only made things worse! He was ready to just pass off her previous interest as morbid fascination. Now he didn’t know what to think. 

No. Actions mattered more than words. Even if it was “complicated,” she still acted like an ass. Mike realized he was grinding his teeth. 

“Let’s heat up that food and watch Netflix and chill, ok?” Lizi rubbed his arm encouragingly. 

“Look at you! Using human phrases like a pro.” Mike laughed.

“Shut up,” she smacked his shoulder as she stood and headed towards the kitchen. “Pick something while I cook this.”

***

Through some miracle, Thoth had allowed Coyote to split off from the group and head to office alone, allowing him to delay the inevitable meeting. After the moment they’d shared in the hospital room, Coyote didn’t know what to think. The man was all over him one second, then kicking him out the next. Insulting his maturity, then almost dying to save him in the span of an hour.

And people thought _he_ was fickle. 

“Oh! Caleb! If you’re here, does that mean Yuuta on his way?” Abby, one of the office workers who reported to Yuuta and had an obvious crush on her oblivious or willfully ignorant boss, appeared out of nowhere, as if she’d been watching Yuuta’s office for activity. 

Actually, in all likelihood she had been doing just that. 

Coyote put down his stack of papers on Yuuta’s desk and tried to keep his smile natural. “Yea, he’ll be here soon. Helen and Miles are driving him in now. I’m just preparing some documents.”

“Making him work on his first day back? Helen’s so mean.” Abby pouted. 

Coyote bristled. “Yuuta begged for more work, you know. He finished everything we gave him by Wednesday.”

“O— oh,” she stammered, off kilter by Coyote’s sharp tone. “Well, why don’t you let me arrange things? We’ve worked together so much, I know how he likes thing.” She moved to take over the stack of paper. 

Only two hundred years of life kept Coyote from shoving her away. What was wrong with him? Yuuta hated him. Maybe he was bi, or just curious, and Abby was actually his type. That thought made him feel heavy. 

“Yea, that’s probably a good idea,” he said, defeated. 

He shuffled out, leaving Abby to hum a happy tune as she sorted paper into piles. Everyone else in the office worked digitally, but Yuuta had an anachronistic habit of printing everything and marking up with red ink. Point in fact, the only printer in the office was just outside his door. 

It was only after he’d closed Yuuta’s office door when Coyote realized he’d let Abby drive him away from his own desk. 

“This sucks,” he grunted, and slouched his way to the break room, where he ate five caramel cookie in a row and sulked. Not his proudest moment. 

An increase in volume and a round of applause from down the hall indicated Yuuta’s arrival. Coyote struggled to remain composed. They’d parted on such poor terms. What was he supposed to say?

“There you are,” Thoth said as she poked her head around the doorframe. “Your boss has been pointedly _not_ asking about you since we walked in the door at the hospital. So, please, for my sanity, come out and say hello.”

Rather than respond, Coyote just stood and stalked past her, towards the sounds of celebration. He rounded the corner and saw Yuuta standing in his office, looking at his desk, while Mormo, Sarah, and Abby stood around him. 

Like a lightning bolt to a spire, Yuuta looked up and met Coyote’s gaze with effortless control. Coyote’s knees wobbled. 

As if pulled by a golden thread, he walked down the hall and into the office. Yuuta pulled a sour face. 

“You put these papers together in the most atrocious way,” he snapped. “Were you trying to give me a headache?”

Abby’s eyes widened. All his earlier frustration with the woman evaporated. No one deserved to wither until Yuuta’s ire. 

“If you have enough energy to complain, you have enough energy to sort them how you like. I’m not a mind reader.” Coyote said with false bravado. 

Yuuta’s eyes flickered by a distraught Abby and Coyote’s furious glare. 

“Well, next time, just leave them well enough alone. I’ll do it myself. I change my processes every few months, anyways.”

In just two sentences, he’d apologized to Coyote and soothed Abby’s bruised feelings, all without calling anyone out. Abby sighed in relief while Coyote seethed. Yuuta was only nice about it when he realized it was Abby who’d made the mistake. 

“Your welcome party starts at 3:30 pm in the main conference room,” Mormo’s words broke through the tension. “I know you agreed to this but if you feel tired at any point, please feel free to head home.”

“Of course, Mr. Graves.” A spark of doubt in Yuuta’s voice made Coyote’s ears prick up. 

“Miles, please, Mr. Ito.” Mormo insisted, beaming a fatherly smile. 

“Miles, then, and you can call me Yuuta. Everyone does.” Yuuta’s expression shifted. The simplicity of his genuine smile punched Coyote in the gut, reminding him just how handsome the human was. 

“Now, Caleb, take and seat. I have some notes to dictate.” Yuuta ordered. 

The others took the hint and filed from the room. Abby threw a wistful look over her shoulder, but Yuuta never saw it. 

***

It turned out the party in the conference room was just a trick. Hecate announced she had reservations for the whole company at a ritzy steak house. The only ones who’d known where the Graves and Yuuta. They’d originally suggested toning down Hecate’s extravagant gesture. To everyone’s surprise, Yuuta had backed up Hecate, saying a fancy dinner would help boost moral more than cake in a meeting room, and that the party wasn’t really for him at all. 

In a way he was right. The party wasn’t for him as a person, but him as a survivor. Coyote understood how heavy the mantle of symbology could be. Yuuta’s happiness and health was like the high water mark for the rest of the office. If he had recovered enough to return to work, then everything would be ok. 

Core hours for employees ended at five pm. The restaurant was close by, so they were seated by four fifteen pm, meaning even those with no evening childcare still enjoyed a luxurious, if somewhat early, dinner. 

Once some of the parents had filtered out, the remaining group of thirty one took advantage of the open bar and worked towards the goal of getting absolutely smashed. The crowd dwindled until only the Graves who worked at Solstice Digital, including Hella under the guise of a new higher, Abby, three others Coyote didn’t recognize, and Yuuta were left. Much to his frustration, Abby had spent most of the evening hanging around Yuuta like a fruit fly to moldy apples. 

He snorted into his drink at the analogy. 

Thoth and Hella sat close to one another, intent on their phones. Were they playing some kind of game together? Coyote tried to get his eyes to focus, but the alcohol said otherwise. He’d had, undoubtedly, too much to drink. 

Mormo and Hecate discussed business strategy with the three he didn’t know. Abby kept trying to draw Yuuta into conversation. Coyote felt dangerously unfair around her. 

“I’m so glad you’re ok, Yuuta,” she simpered. 

“No thanks to my fearless assistant,” Yuuta grunted, waving his glass towards Coyote. “Did you know he didn’t visit me once in the hospital?”

This caused the woman to stare daggers at Coyote before switching her focus back to her crush. “I would have visited you every day! If they’d released which hospital you’d gone to, that is….” 

“Any sane person would,” Yuuta agreed. 

Coyote ground his teeth together for the second time that day. 

Though, in some ways, Yuuta drunk off his ass was cute, almost endearing. For the first time, Coyote saw the human completely unguarded. Which only made Abby’s advances more frustrating. 

“I was one of the people who brought you to the hospital, you know,” he snapped. “But I guess you don’t remember that.”

Yuuta made a guttural sound. “All I remember is you spent half the damn party with your girlfriend like some kind of lovesick teen.”

“My—“ Coyote thought back to the party. He’d spoken to Lizi about his frustrations with his boss for some time. It clicked and he laughed out loud, disturbing the others. “My girlfriend? Meagan’s my cousin. We’re roommates and I wanted to ask her something. Just ask Miles. We even have the same last name.”

Hearing his name, Miles tuned in. “He’s correct, Meagan is a member of our family, who’s skill set didn’t match any position here, so she works elsewhere in the building.”

“Wha—“ This revelation apparently shocked Yuuta to his core. His mouth hung open. Like a hawk sighting a mouse, his unfocused eyes struggled to pinpoint Coyote in the gloom of the banquet room. “Excuse me. Bathroom.” He pushed himself to his feet and tottered towards the door. 

Miles watched him go. “Someone ought to go with him, I should think.”

Before anyone could so much as blink, Abby had bolted her feet, ready to answer the call of love. “I’ll go!”

“Someone who can join him in the bathroom,” Miles finished gently. 

She deflated. “Er, right.”

Coyote threw Mormo a dirty look. “Be right back.”

The restaurant sported multiple restrooms, the smaller set in the back geared towards those in the event room. He couldn’t track Yuuta without the use of his magic, but he had to be there, right?

The door to the men’s restroom squeaked as he pushed it open. Empty. Coyote bent over and looked under the two stall doors. Empty. Where was he?

Without any other leads, Coyote turned to leave, intending to go back to the table to report his failure and drink some more. 

The bathroom door swung open and Coyote came face to face with Yuuta, cheeks red from the drink, eyes sparkling with that same hunger from the hospital room, hair sticking up on end.

“Where were you—“ Coyote started to ask, not hiding the irritation in his voice. 

He never finished his sentence because Yuuta, a great deal taller and broader then him, grasped Coyote by the shoulders and spun him around, slamming him against the bathroom door. 

“I knew you’d come nag me.” He loomed Coyote, leaning down. Breath that smelled like sake and rare meat tickled his collarbone. 

Sensation threatened to overwhelm the devil. Hot breath spread over his skin like a typhoon, leaving goosebumps in its wake. 

His reaction seemed to please Yuuta, because he nuzzled closer, fanning his breath across Coyote’s collarbone, exposed after he’d unbuttoned his shirt an hour ago. Coyote groaned. 

“You’re so damn sexy.” It took a moment for him to realize Yuuta had spoken in an unfamiliar voice, heavy with lust and intoxication. “You make me want to forget everything, damn it. I wish I could…” He trailed off, unable to contain himself any longer. 

Two long fingers grasped Coyote by the chin, forcing him to look into his boss’s fiery eyes. He knew what came next. 

“You’re drunk. Knock it off,” he tried to push Yuuta away, only to find it like pushing a mountain. His devil strength didn’t mean a thing to a nullifier. If Yuuta wanted to force himself on him, there’d be no stopping him. 

That thought thrummed on his nerves. 

“If I don’t do this now,” Yuuta was panting now, “then I think I’ll never do it.” He bent down and pressed his full lips onto Coyote’s. 

Coyote had been right. Yuuta’s lips were somehow both firm and soft. Passion long denied roared through his veins. His arms dropped to Yuuta’s hips, pulling him closer. 

This was all the invitation he needed. With a throaty groan, Yuuta pushed open Coyote’s mouth and plunged his tongue inside. Coyote could only whimper as the human devoured the devil. 

Someone knocked on the door. 

“Caleb?” Mormo’s voice filtered through his lust. 

Warmth vanished as Yuuta pulled himself back. In his eyes burned… hatred. 

“Caleb, are you alright? It’s been a while. Does Yuuta need medical attention?”

Coyote realized that no one could sense Yuuta’s health due to his status as a nullifier. Mormo wasn’t teasing; he honestly didn’t know what was going on, other than sensing Coyote’s extreme agitation. Not the source, though.

“I’m fine, Miles,” Yuuta replied for him. “Caleb and I just got to chatting. I’m tired though, so I’ll be heading out directly.”

“Of course,” Mormo replied. 

Coyote managed to heave himself to one side and let Yuuta step into the hallway and make his goodbyes. 

A few moments later, Mormo returned. “Are you alright? Did he fight with you?” 

Coyote looked down at his pants, taught with an erection, as angry at himself as he was with Yuuta. It would take more than a minute to calm down and rejoin the others. 

“Not really. I’m just more drunk than I thought. Think I’m gonna puke. Give me a few, ok?”

“Ah. That’s fine, Coyote. Take your time.” He left. 

Alone at last, Coyote collapsed, sliding against the wall to collapse on the ground, and rubbed a never-ending stream of tears from his eyes. 


	11. Chapter 11

***

Mike and Lizi enjoyed a quiet evening at home, eating far too much of Hella’s delicious stir fry and binging on half a season of a new Netflix show. The rest of the Graves stumbled in around twelve thirty in the morning. 

When Coyote had all but fallen in an attempt to walk through the doorframe, Lizi’s brow had pinched and she rushed to him, whispering in his ear and tugging him to bed. She cast Mike an apologetic look as she lugged her friend upstairs. 

“Is he ok?” Mike asked Thoth as she wobbled past. “Lizi looks so worried…”

“The nullifier is causing trouble,” she mumbled but didn’t stop. Hella followed behind her, looking only a bit more sober, plucking at Thoth’s outerwear.

“Don’t sleep in your clothes, you always do that, just take off the coat at least…” Hella’s voice faded away as she followed her teacher upstairs. 

Hecate stood in the doorway, her arms folded. “I suppose I’ll have my room to myself tonight,” she commented. 

Mormo gave her the side eye. “You shouldn’t encourage your sister and you know it.”

“My sister is capable of handling herself. Thoth is not as drunk as she seems, I promise you.” Still, Hecate’s eyes shuttered as she looked at the closed door to Thoth’s room. “Fine. I’ll retrieve her and send her to bed.”

Soon only Mike and Mormo were left downstairs. Soon after ascending, Hecate dragged her whining sister from Thoth’s room into her own and slammed the door shut behind them. 

“Crazy party, I guess? Do you want some water?” He went to the fridge to get himself, offering an empty glass to Mormo. 

“No, thank you. I shall be going to bed soon. I now understand Hella’s insistence of cooking multiple meals worth of food this morning.” He grimaced. “I have not indulged this much in decades.”

Mike tried again. “Is Coyote ok?”

Mormo never looked genuinely troubled, but now concern shone clearly on his face. “Yuuta, the man who saved Coyote during the party, is a nullifier.”

“Yea, I remember hearing that. But unless he’s doing something bad, there isn’t any reason to cast spells on him, right?”

“Right,” Mormo struggled to find the words. “But what constitutes ‘bad’ is up for debate at this moment. We believe Coyote has been wronged, yes he insists nothing is amiss.”

“That sounds serious… What did Yuuta do?” He’d seemed like such an uptight but normal person. 

“He kissed Coyote without permission.”

“What…” That was not at all what he’d expected. Of course, any form of sexual assault was serious but— “I thought he only cancelled out magic, not everything. Why didn’t Coyote just push him away?”

“Why indeed.” Mormo said to himself. “That is why we are not pursing justice, human or devil. There is more to the story than we know and Coyote asked us to stay our hand. Hecate assented.”

“I don’t know why he’d defend him. What is this guy goes even farther next time and Coyote doesn’t feel like he can stop it?” Mike’s foot started tapping as he considered the terrible things that could happen to the relatively petite Coyote if he didn’t use his devilish powers. 

“Your concern does you credit, Mike,” Mormo said as he headed upstairs. “Hecate ordered us not to interfere unless Coyote asks for help, so we must heed her command. I believe the princess does know best, even though she won’t explain.”

Mike bit back a number of unsavory things he could say about Hecate’s judgement when it came to matters of sex and love. “Well, I hope she’s right. Anyways, you guys get some sleep. See you tomorrow.”

***

Saturday morning dawned. Lizi hadn’t drunk but she spent the whole night tending to an emotionally wrecked Coyote, vacillating between sisterly concern and outrage that he’d defended Yuuta’s actions. 

Though she’d consumed more alcohol than the rest combined, Hecate’s tolerance saved her from embarrassing herself. The only thing that could get her drunk was Dio’s cherry wine. 

Since Hella was sleeping off her hangover in Hecate’s room, the warrior princess was driven downstairs. To her chagrin, Mike was already awake and banging around in the kitchen. 

In a lapse of judgement, she took a moment to appreciate him. His hair had that perpetual frazzled look, wisps of blonde floating in the breeze coming from the balcony. As he bent over the stove, reheating part of Hella’s meal, he almost frowned at the food, as if it was an enemy. Or, at least, mildly annoying. He looked much better smiling, she thought, his narrow chin and defined jaw softened by plump, curved lips and sparkling blue eyes. 

Not for the first time, she was struck by just how delicate he looked, more so than the average human, regardless of gender. He stood shorter than her by several inches with wrists so thin she was amazed he could lift anything heavier than an empty dinner plate. Every time she got close to him, Hecate worried she’d snap him in two with an poorly timed gesture. 

And yet… he was beautiful. Caring, warm, generous, and trusting. The opposite of her in every way. He soothed her with a glance, unaware of his unsettling power. A thought occurred to her. Or, perhaps it was more accurate to say, she allowed herself to think it. Was Mike her bond mate?

As soon as she asked the question, she knew the answer. The way she was drawn to him, how his words calmed her in a way no other’s did, the fact that Mormo and Thoth had gone along with her whim to let him stay so easily. 

Damn them! They’d known all along!

Hecate hurled the glass of water in her hand out onto the balcony. It shattered onto the decorated concrete, turning the sunlight into broken rainbows. 

“Whoa!” Mike dropped the spoon he was using to push frozen pieces of meat and vegetables around. He whipped around, looking for the source of the attack, only to find it standing in the center of the living area, fists clenched, claws long, hair floating on its own. 

The fear in his azure eyes snapped her back to reality. Her heart ached. 

“Are you alright?” She asked, afraid to meet his eyes. This is exactly why she disliked humans. What if she’d thrown it just a bit to the right and the glass had bounced inside? A single shard could destroy an eye, cut a vital vein, the list goes on. He’d bleed out before she could blink. 

“Yea, I just— I mean, are _you_ ok? You threw that glass pretty hard.”

Even through his fear, Mike thought about more than himself. He extended his calm kindness to even the likes of her. The way his mouth tilted and his brows furrowed in that endearing expression of concern was too much to handle. 

“I thought I saw a… bird.” Hecate stammered. 

“A normal bird? Or, like, an evil Ego bird?” He sounded confused. 

“Yes. The second one. Yes, a flying ego. Turns out it was nothing, though.” Her whole body heated in embarrassment. “I should go check the… wards, yes… the wards. So, see you… Later…” Before he could get another word out, she fled the scene, banging out the door and slamming her finger on the down button of their dedicated elevator. The plastic button popped and cracked, but the elevator door opened anyways. 

Well, that was easily the most humiliating thing she’d ever experienced. As she rode the elevator down, Hecate contemplated the pros and cons of forcing open one of the two shadow gates and punching Egos to death until she forgot how much of an idiot she was. 

Mormo and Thoth had withheld the truth because they wanted her to come to trust this world first. They thought that if she just liked it enough, it wouldn’t matter if her bonding partner was a human. 

How selfish could they be? In the devil realm, being singled out as a bond mate was an honor. It came with all kinds of perks, like a lifetime of care for one’s extended family, a prestigious position among nobility, and, in her case, a place on the royal court of the underworld, regardless of birth. The bond mate and their siblings were granted titles and lands. The only thing a bonding partner had to do was live in close proximity to their other half. Most partners became lovers or spouses, which made it easy to monitor their lover’s mood and mental strain. Even those who weren’t romantic and families of their own saw each other daily, as best friends and comrades. 

What did the devil world have to offer a human? Eventually, she would return home. Mike would have to come with her. Weak and fragile, he’d be forced onto battlefields and into dangerous political games without any protection of his own. He’d have to rely utterly on other devils, making him a strategic weakness to the royal family. He knew nothing of their culture, so the monetary and political rewards meant nothing. 

Her only chance to save Mike was to avoid him until her father’s time limit was up, feigning ignorance the whole time. And the best way to do that was to remove herself from the house. He’d hate her for it, but it was the only real choice. Anything else ruined his future just for her. Besides, they had no way of knowing if he would match her lifespan like other partners did after the ceremony. They could destroy his life and have it not matter in the end. 

Her patrol went faster than usual as she tried to plan the next step. She couldn’t tip her hand and let them know she’d caught on, or they might tell father, and he would order her to do it, as her king. Hecate didn’t want to go against her father. Didn’t want to see the hurt in mother’s eyes when she refused to comply. 

Maybe the easiest answer the also the right one. 

By the time she’d returned, the rest of the devils were awake. Mike tried to meet her eyes when she slipped in. She couldn’t stand to look at him now that she knew just how close she’d come to ruining his future. 

“Mormo,” she addressed her uncle as she sat down at the table, knowing she couldn’t hide her agitation but hoping she could at least hide the _cause_. 

“Yes?” He looked up from his near empty bowl. 

“When you have a moment, I’d like to discuss something,” she said quietly. 

“Of course. I’ve just finished. Do—“

“Do you want any?” Mike finished the sentence, pouncing when she’d been distracted. In fact, he already had a bowl filled to the brim with meat and nothing else. “You didn’t eat before you left this morning.”

Awkwardness she didn’t know she had made Hecate fumble her words. “I ate already. On patrol.”

He just looked at her, squinting his eyes. “Sure. Ok. Well, this will taste better, I promise.” Without waiting for answer, he set the bowl down with a thunk. 

Dare she even think it but… had he just given her the stink eye?

Mormo sat primly with his hands in his lap and he waited for the princess to eat. Mike had already returned to the kitchen, emanating an aura of frustration she could feel from her seat. 

The entire world seemed to conspire against her! Hecate gave in and ate her breakfast. 

“Let’s speak in my room,” she said. Hecate finished the last bite of her food and stood without ceremony. Mormo followed. 

Safely inside her sanctuary, Hecate tried to collect her thoughts. 

“I believe I should move to a temporary residence closer to the largest rift.”

Mormo looked at her contemplatively. “I see. Did you notice something on your patrol?”

“Yes.” Not entirely a lie. There was a minor fluctuation in the wards Thoth had placed. Normally, she’d simply increase her patrols to twice a day and put it from her mind. 

“Hmm,” he hummed in a way that so resembled her father it made her itch. “I shall arrange with Lady Sarah. If that’s what you really want?”

“Uncle, what’s more important than monitoring the shadow world?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“ _Tch_.” She wasn’t really lying, but somehow she knew saying it out loud would expose her. “Yes. I believe the best place for me now is near the rift. An Ego may slip through at any time. We must be prepared. Entropy has already shown an interest in Mike.”

“Ah.” 

Hecate knew he’d just called her bluff. 

“Mormo,” she took a deep breath before continuing. “Can I trust you?” 

A simple question with a thousand meanings. She prayed to the river Styx he would support her. 

  


  


***

Mormo tried to collect his thoughts as he returned to his room. Hecate knew what Mike was, yet she hadn’t acted with revulsion or anger but a desire to protect the human. The desperation in her eyes when she’d asked for his trust all but burst his heart with grief. 

What else could he have said, except “I will always trust you, princess.”

He pulled out his phone and texted Lady Sarah, asking her to secure a studio apartment as close to the specified address as possible. She responded promptly. 

_I will start looking now._

_Is there an issue with the current apartment?_

_No. The princess has security concerns best addressed by proximity to a shadow gate._

_Please do not worry, it’s nothing serious._

_Very well._

_I will keep you updated._

Text messaging made communicating trivial, but he lamented the lack of body language and tone of voice. Sending the princess off alone broke several protocols and he’d given a weak reason for it, at best. Was Lady Sarah suspicious too? How much had the king told their human guide about the truth goal of the mission? Would she betray them? Hades would not hesitate to force his daughter to do what she had to save her own life. And Mormo wasn’t sure Hecate had the power to fight back. 

Well, if she would report back to Hades, they couldn’t change that now. The best course was to continue and say as little as possible and hope for the best. For Mormo, a planner through and through, the thought rankled him. 

The first logistical hurdle out of the way, Mormo moved to the most difficult part: telling the others. 

Maybe it was the cowards way out, but he opted to delay until Hecate had a chance to slip into her new accommodations after work. Better to break the news when they couldn’t argue with her or guess the real reason for her departure. 

Of course, he worried about Mike the most. 


	12. Chapter 12

***

She’d slunk away in the middle of the night. The next morning, the rest of the devils acted as if nothing was wrong when Mormo announced the princess had moved out in order to better monitor a shadow gate, whatever that meant. Mike had been too angry to ask for details. 

That was all Hecate did. Make him angry. He couldn’t figure out he felt about her and now he’d never know. Something about Mormo’s monotone words and hunched shoulders told him she wouldn’t be coming back. The last time he’d seen her was the previous morning, dressed in her business casual black blazer and caramel slacks, chatting with Thoth about nothing important. Had he waved goodbye? He couldn’t remember now. 

It had been a month {{check timeline}} and it was as if she’d never existed. No one mentioned her in conversation, went into her room, or planned to visit. For all he knew, she was already back in the underworld. 

And that made him angrier than her leaving in the first place. They’d cast of their “beloved princess” like a wet towel and she’d never said goodbye. 

Thankfully, on a breezy Thursday morning, a distraction presented itself. 

His phone buzzed with a message from Kyle. They’d been speaking more since that lunch weeks ago. 

_The party is next Friday night if yur gonna get something_

_Something? Like a present for you or clothes lol_

_Gift is optional but plz at least wear clean underwear you slob_

_Don’t worry I’m not that bad_

_Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask_

_What?_

_Come on dude spit it out you’ve been weird for a while now_

_Can I bring someone to the party?_

_Uh duh of course. Wait are you talking about Lizy?_

_Lizi. and yea I think so. I’ll let you know_

_Good luck man_

He didn’t need luck, of course. Lizi and him had grown even closer after Hecate vanished, to the point where she reduced her work schedule and now worked Monday through Wednesday only. That way, she’d explained, he would be alone less. He’d wanted the company too much to be offended by the obvious pity. 

She returned from the kitchen with two mugs of her own secret hot chocolate recipe, topped with a perfect swirl of whipped cream. A talent she’d learned as a barista. She could do latte art now too. 

“Here. Was that Kyle?” She asked as she glanced at the phone in his hand. 

“Yea. Hey, remember how he’s getting married?”

“Of course,” she beamed. “Heather is a lovely woman.” Coyote, Lizi, and himself had gone out for drinks with Kyle and Heather the other week. 

“Do you want to go to their engagement party? It’ll be really boring if I’m alone. I don’t know any of his other friends.”

“Of course,” she repeated. “I’m glad you asked me. Which leads me to an important question: what’s the dress code?”

“Uh.” He pulled out his phone again. 

_What’s the dress code?_

_Lizi obviously said yes lol. let me ask_

_Ok Heather says “end of spring party dressy casual” And that Lizi would know what that means_

_Thanks_

He raised his phone and faced the screen towards her. “That’s what Heather said.” 

Lizi’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that sounds so fun! Let’s go shopping right now!”

Mike barely had time to agree before she was dragging him out the door, down the elevator, and into a ride share to head to the mall. Normally they walked but she was apparently in a hurry today. 

Even now, he got a little nervous at that particular mall. Nothing had happened since, of course, but the memory of the ego made him shudder. And the memory of Hecate in her battle dress, slicing the ego to bits made him shudder too… albeit in a different way. 

“Let’s start a Llama Girl,” Lizi announced as she made her way down the walkways. She’d long ago memorized the mall’s entire store map. Hella loved shopping here as much as she did and they went out almost every weekend, bringing home bags of clothes to squeal over in Lizi’s room. 

Llama Girl was a trendy, small franchise boutique that focused on boho and hippie fusion fashion. He especially liked the soft fabrics and their complex patterns of the dresses and skirts. But he also didn’t want to make Lizi feel like he was forcing her to dress a certain way, so he kept a studiously neutral face. 

She picked her way through the racks for half an hour while he waited in the single plush chair put there for suffering boyfriends. After trying on several without asking for his input, she put back all but two dresses. 

“Ok,” she held them both up. “This one?” She swished a calf length dusty navy dress with puffed long sleeves and a full, ruffly skirt. “Or this one?” Down went the blue dress and up came a shorter black dress with a black and blue lace overlay. It had fitted mid length sleeves and a high waist, with a subtle flare to the skirt. 

“Hmm.” He liked helping people pick out clothes and took his job as advisor seriously. “The blue one is more whimsical and captivating, and the black one is flirty and cute. I think I like the black one better, just because it’ll be easier to move around in because its shorter. But try them both on.”

Her eyes sparkled and she nodded vigorously as she stepped into the changing room. The clerk working the register gave him a thumbs up and a toothy grin. 

As he suspected, the blue dress made her look like a fairy princess and the black one like trendy and flirtatious. 

“I like both,” he said apologetically. “But I still think the black one is a better fit for the type of event.”

“I agree,” she smiled. “But I’ll just buy both! Surely I’ll find a use for the other one, right? Besides, there are at three more stores I want to try.”

“O— Okay.” He stammered, unsure just how many dresses she wanted. Wasn’t getting so many options you had to agonize the day of _not_ the point of shopping in advance?

As they checked out, the clerk flashed Lizi a quick smile. “You two make a great couple,” she whispered conspiratorially, even though he could hear every word. 

Lizi blushed. “Thanks,” she whispered back. 

Mike wondered what it would be like if they were a _real_ couple. If she wasn’t a devil with a lifespan several times his own and a home in a magic temple in another dimension. It felt good but also… not quite right. 

In the end, they visited four more stores, buying two dresses each. 

“Let’s get something to eat,” Lizi suggested as she slung some of her bags over her shoulder. Mike carried the rest. 

“Sure. What do you want?”

They picked a fast food teriyaki stall and took their meals to a small table in the corner. Lizi tucked her haul under the table. They ate in silence for a few moments. 

“Mike?”

“Hmm?” He replied through a mouthful of rice. “What’s up?”

“Do you think we’d make a good couple?”

Suddenly, his food felt like lead in his stomach. He searched for the right way to explain. “Well…”

“Never mind!” Lizi’s attitude shifted, turning needlessly bright and cheery. “It was just because of what that woman said. I thought it was funny, that’s all!”

“Lizi…” He reached out to touch her hand. 

She stood, the chair squawking as she pushed it back. “Sorry, suddenly gotta pee.”

Mike sat there, utterly alone in the crowded food court. He spoke under his breath, to everyone and to no one. “I’m sorry, Lizi.”

  


***

Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could she be so _stupid_?

The clerk hadn’t needed much of a mental push to make a comment. In fact, Lizi had merely _encouraged_ her to say what she was already thinking. 

It had seemed like such a good plan in her head. Spend the day with him, show off all her best traits, sprinkle in a few hints, and then confess. 

Now it was all ruined. She’d ignored her own empathic talent, hoping he was just a more subdued person and the feelings she sensed from him were truly love. How her mother would laugh, if she could see her daughter now! Lizi was all the things Coyolxauhqui said she was. Naive, brainless, unskilled, and unlovable. Good for nothing but pushing out babies for a husband she wouldn’t even get to meet before the wedding. 

“Hon, are you ok?” An older woman with red hair in a messy bun touched her shoulder. 

Lizi realized she was standing in front of a sink, staring at the mirror, tears streaming down her face. 

“I will be. Thanks.” She gave the woman a wan smile. 

“Are you sure? Do you need help?”

Lizi realized the woman thought she was victim of domestic violence. “Oh, no. I’m not hurt. Or, well, only my ego hurts.” Her smile was more genuine this time. 

The redheaded woman relaxed. “Sweetie, I’m sorry. It’ll be ok in time. If it’s not, then it’s not time yet, ok?”

“Thank you for those wise words,” Lizi nodded and patted the woman’s arm. “I’ll go as soon as I clean up.” She took out her makeup kit from her purse and started to clean her face as the woman left. 

A few minutes later, Lizi’s face looked like a perfectly normal one, not one puffy from crying. The magic of makeup had no limits, truly. 

When he saw her coming, Mike’s face lit up and Lizi felt tears pressing against her eyes again. He valued her as a good friend. 

“Look, Lizi, I was thinking—“ He rushed to say as soon as she sat down again. 

“Mike. Stop. I know what you’re going to say.” She tapped her temple. “Empath, remember? You can’t fake love.”

“That’s not what I was going to suggest.”

Hope flickered in her breast. 

“I have… some baggage. But, if I could get over that, I think we could make a good couple. I’d like to… try. If that’s ok?”

This was a terrible idea. A rotten, no good, dangerous, damaging idea. 

“Sure, I’d love that,” she whispered. 

***

Well, now he was dating Lizi, apparently. He wanted to make her happy. To make _himself_ happy. And stop letting this weird, pointless baggage about a woman he’d never see again hurt everyone. Lizi was an empath, she’d understand. She’d help him heal. She was a healer, after all. 

Mike told himself this as he stood in front of Kyle’s townhouse door, Lizi standing close enough for their shoulders to bump. Just nerves about having to introduce his new girlfriend to people who knew Meagan, nothing more. He knocked. Kyle flung the door open.

“Hey, man! Come on in. Hi again, Lizi, thanks for coming early too.”

They took off their jackets and shoes and followed Kyle down the short hall to the kitchen and living room. Heather stood at the stove, a cast iron skillet of melted fat mere feet from her face as she fried pieces of breaded chicken. According to Kyle, it was grandmother’s recipe and the only thing of hers he wasn’t allowed to touch. 

“Oh! You’re cooking for your own party,” Lizi exclaimed as she stepped into the kitchen. “Can I help?”

Heather looked her shoulder and smiled wide. Mike realized just how similar Lizi and Heather were. “I wouldn’t want you to get that cute dress dirty, hon. But if you want, ask Kyle to get one of my sleeper shirts.”

Lizi smoothed her hands over the black dress with lace, from the first store. “Do you like it? Mike picked it out,” she said shyly. 

Heather returned to focusing on the food. “Hey, good job, you’ve got great taste.”

“Er, thanks. I just helped her choose between two and she bought both in the end.” He laughed. As he’d predicted, Lizi had dragged Hella into her room that night and they’d spent several hours choosing which of the ten dresses she’d wear after all. 

“Ok,” Kyle returned with a faded pink shirt, “wear this and use an apron, I think you’ll be good. And… thanks. I’m not allowed in the kitchen.”

Lizi stared blankly at him.

“It’s a long story. Anyways, go, have fun!” He pushed the jammies into her hands and beckoned to Mike. “Care for a pre game?” He pointed to a mini fridge in the living room. 

“Aren’t we supposed to be setting up?” Mike put his hands on his hips. 

“Yea. I mean, at some point. But we have, like, two hours, right?” He handed Mike a glass bottle of some new microbrewery in town. 

“Really? You’re going to procrastinate on your engagement party? I hope you’re paying someone to plan the wedding,” Mike said as he rolled his eyes, though he took the beer anyways. 

“Oh god yes. Heather’s aunt’s best friend knows a wedding planner and she got us a great price. My fiancé has about two thousand friends and family members, all expecting invites. I feel like I should hire actors to pad the groom’s side,” Kyle grumbled. 

He was an only child born into a tiny extended family, just his parents, his aunt, and one cousin around his age. His cousin wasn’t married and didn’t have any kids, which meant his family reunions were really just quick dinners on a weeknight. Mike knew Kyle secretly loved his fiancé’s large, loud, loving family. 

“Besides,” he gave Mike a sly look, “the guest list isn’t the most important thing right now. Something seems different about you two. Are you guys actually dating now?”

“She asked me when we were buying a dress for today, so thanks for that, I guess,” Mike said with a lopsided smile. He raised his beer in a toast. 

Kyle raised his glass but his eyes narrowed. “I think there’s a ‘but’ in here somewhere.”

Without realizing it, Mike checked over his shoulder to see if Lizi was still engaged in the kitchen. Heather must have made some kind of joke, because Lizi threw her head back, long hair cascading like a waterfall, and laughed. She was beautiful and kind and he loved her, yes, but….

There was that “but,”after all. 

“I have hangups. They’re hard to get over. We’re going to take it slow while I figure it out. And yes—“ he held up his hand to shush Kyle, “She knows all this.”

Not that he’d ever said it out loud, but she understood. 

“Are you still not over Meagan?” Kyle asked, his voice incredulous. 

Mike had a policy. He never lied. Not to his friends, his lovers, or the barista taking his order. Now he looked his best friend dead in the face and twisted the truth. 

“Yea. I still think about her sometimes. Even though she’s a bitch. Crazy, right?”

Kyle patted his back awkwardly. “Hey, it’s ok. You were with her for years, so that’s normal. I’m glad Lizi understands, because you guys look great together.”

“Thanks. Now, are you going to keep flattering me or are we going to do some work before the women fry us in hot oil?”

***

“How are you doing?” Mike leaned over and whispered to Lizi. She looked relaxed but he still worried. This was the first of this kind of party she’d been to. Several dozen people packed into a townhouse was a lot different than a picnic on a beach. 

“I’m great. Heather is a wonderful host.” Lizi watched Heather move between clumps of people, greeting them all with hugs and grins. 

“Yea. Apparently the wedding is going to be huge because she has so many friends,” Mike chuckled. 

“I can believe it,” she replied. “Her emotions are all genuine. That’s rare, in humans and devils. She will make a superb partner for your friend.”

He knew that already, but hearing proof from a supernatural with magical empathic powers being warmed his heart even more. “Thanks, Lizi. I’m really glad to hear that.”

“Oh, Mike, is that you?” A woman’s voice filtered through the soft music and chattering voices. 

Mike found the source and tried to remember where he’d met her before. Her straight black hair hung like a curtain drawn over one shoulder. Warm brown eyes squinted as she frowned at him. Before he could figure out what was going on, her face smoothed. 

“It’s been so long! I haven’t seen you since Amy’s wedding. God, that was what, almost two years ago now. I feel so old.”

Lizi reached down and laced her fingers in his. Her body felt tense, like something was bothering her. Something about this woman bothered her. 

“I’m Leah. We’ve met a few times.” Her eyes flicked to their entwined hands and back to his face. “I heard you and Meagan split up. That really sucks, I’m sorry.”

Lizi squeezed his hand. Not that he needed an empath to tell him Leah didn’t care at all. She’d changed her hair and gotten rid of her glasses, but he recognized her as one of Meagan’s old college buddies. They’d never hung out in small groups but Meagan and her shared memes and were in a lot of the same group chats. 

“Thanks. I didn’t know you knew Heather.”

“Oh, we were in the same sorority and then it turns out we work in the same building now. She invited me and a few other lunch girls.” Her explanation sounded more like an excuse than a reason. Mike wondered if she’d invited herself and Heather hadn’t had the heart to refuse her. 

“Cool, cool. Well, we’re going to go check in on Kyle. Nice to see you again, Leah.” He plastered on a fake smile and let Lizi drag him away. 

“She’s going to cause trouble.” She mumbled as she pulled him into a corner. 

“What, really? How?”

“I don’t know. I can feel emotions, not thoughts. She feels vindicated and vengeful. And when I took your hand, she also felt something like jealousy. Not for her, but someone else.”

“Judging by how Meagan acted that day at the bar, it’s probably sympathetic jealousy.”

“I agree.” Lizi’s face had turned pinched and pale. 

“Do you think she’ll do anything weird?”

“I’m sorry, Mike, I just don’t know.” Tear’s formed at the corner of her eyes. 

“Don’t cry, it’s fine. We’ll just let Kyle know she’s a little shady and they can deal with it if something comes up.”

“Deal with what?” Kyle asked. He popped out of nowhere, beer in hand, eyes a little glazed. “Mike. Did you make your girlfriend cry?” He spoke a little louder than normal. A few people turned towards them and frowned. 

“Shut the fuck up. And no, I didn’t. There’s a lady here named Leah. She’s friends with Meagan and wasn’t very nice to Lizi.”

“Friends with… No way Heather would have invited someone— oh, I know who that bitch is,” he slurred. “She’s the one who eavesdropped on Heather and invited herself like some kind of middle school bully. I can’t believe she actually showed up. Should I kick her out?” He made a mock kicking motion and grinned drunkenly. 

“No, please don’t. She didn’t mean to make me cry,” Lizi rushed to explain. “I’m just a sensitive person. She hasn’t done anything wrong.” 

“Hmm, well, if you say so. It’s good your sensitive. Mike is too. A bit too much, sometimes. Makes the girls nervous. They want a big strong gorilla and—“

“Okay, that’s enough of that. Go find your finance so she can take your beer away,” Mike snapped. He shoved Kyles shoulder in Heather’s direction. 

“Little shit,” he grumbled, but tottered off. 

“Sorry, Lizi. He’s an annoying drunk.”

“Did women really treat you like that?” Her eyes were wide with sympathy. 

“Sort of.” He didn’t like to think about this, because it likely was the reason Meagan had cheated on him. “A few of my exes thought I was too passive.”

“In bed?” She inquired. 

Mike’s ears burned at that. It was true but also… humiliating to hear from a sexual partner.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Mike.” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “Lots of women like that. You just hadn’t met the right one. Until now.” Her smile turned flirty. 

“Very cute.” He squeezed her hand. “I need a drink after that. Want anything?”

She shook her head. “I’ll come with you.”

They picked their way through the crowd to the row of raised coolers filled with melting ice and wrapped in burlap ribbons sprinkled with glitter. Heather was a real southern girl, despite being raised in California. 

Drink in hand, Mike and Lizi plunged back into the fray, bouncing from one group of acquaintances to another. He wasn’t friends with anyone but Kyle, but he knew several guests on a first name basis and enjoyed the conversation one step above small talk. 

Suddenly, Lizi’s hand clamped down on his wrist and she hissed. “Mike! She’s _here_.”

Dread pooled in his stomach like oil, coating his thoughts in black gunk. “M— Meagan is here?”

“Yes. And she’s very, very unhappy.”

“That bitch. She must have told Meagan about you.” He scanned the room, looking for Leah, but didn’t find her. A spark lit in his soul and suddenly the oil turned to a blazing flame. 

He was furious. After living with the devils for months, Mike saw now just how much Meagan had pushed him around. And here she was, about to cause a scene at his best friend’s engagement party, just so she could talk down to him. 

“Where is she? Come on, let’s find her before she finds us.” He patted Lizi’s hand to ease her death grip on his tingling wrist. 

“Is that a good idea?” 

“If we don’t find her, she might run into Kyle or Heather and I won’t let her mess with their evening.”

She took a deep breath. “Ok. She’s outside.”

Mike stalked to the front door and flung it open and came face to face with Meagan, her mascara running, eyes bloodshot, and face puffy. 

“Mike. You’re here!” She squealed as she threw her arms around his neck. 


	13. Chapter 13

She felt it before anyone else, even Thoth. It was like her soul was a thin piece of paper someone had just been torn in two. On her lips, Hecate tasted anger and humiliation, followed by a black bolt of terror. Those were Mike’s emotions, she knew without a doubt. 

Lizi’s panicked message reached Thoth in the next split second. 

Both devils bolted to their feet. Mormo and Coyote looked stunned, while realization dawned on Hella’s face as she received the message next. 

Lizi’s clear, bell-like voice rang in their heads.

_Many egos here. Danger. Help._

Mormo and Coyote jumped up next, as Hella relayed the thought to them. 

“Mormo, Coyote,,” Hecate ordered, her voice low with anticipation of the battle to come, “bring your weapons. Today we go hunting.”

She hurled herself up the stairs and into her room flinging open the closet door. Mormo had forced her to dedicate a small section to human clothes. She’d converted the rest of the room into an armory. 

Without any idea of the terrain and number of enemies, Hecate opted to bring her two handed scythe, the double pair she’d used at the mall, and a handful of kunai. Carrying all three within her would take its toll on her stamina, but the risk of bringing a knife to a gunfight, so to speak, was too high.

She left the room and vaulted over the railing to land in the living room. Mormo and Coyote were still prepping, though Thoth and Hella stood at the ready. 

Thoth raised her brow. “Three? Can you handle it?”

“Of course,” Hecate sniffed, though she already felt the pull of magic on her bones. 

Hella opened her mouth to argue but Thoth cut her off with a wave of her hand. 

“Then let’s go. The others will catch up.” With another wave, a portal to a cramped urban street lined with parked cars burst into being. They stepped through. 

While the portal had showed the human version of the location, Thoth moved them directly into the shadow dimension, which meant there were enough Egos in the area to completely destroy the fabric of reality. Which was very bad. Hecate felt her muscles twitch. 

The heady rush of weightlessness faded and their feet connected with solid ground. 

“I’ll keep it open. Go, sisters, and slay.” Thoth met Hella’s eyes for the briefest moment. 

Hecate realized just how worried Thoth was. That was very, very bad. 

Screams erupted from inside the nearest house and the door burst open. A flood of humans, some limping and covered in blood, poured out. Behind them, a large, mature Ego stooped to fit through the door in pursuit. It was no use, though. The thing’s lanky legs and wide shoulders simply couldn’t fold down enough and it ripped the door frame out of the wall. The frame and door hung around its neck like a necklace. 

Unlike the immature creature at the mall, this Ego was fully grown. It stood only a few feet taller but it’s claws were longer, skin tougher, muscles more defined, teeth more numerous and sharper. By now, an Ego had also learned to use its double jointed limbs to the fullest. 

One wasn’t that much of a threat but…

“More!” Hella shouted over the screams, confirming Hecate’s fear. 

Inside the building were at least six more. She sensed at least two more mature as this one and one—

“Is that a Duke?” She asked Hella. 

“Yes. It’s inside but… somethings not quite right. I don’t think they’ll be fighting at their fullest capacity.”

“How many humans can you extract,” Hecate was already moving towards the first Ego. She called her kunai, in order to draw it away from crowd. 

“Everyone not currently infected or engaged in combat. It will take some time.” 

“Do it.” 

Hecate launched two blades in quick succession. One hit the Ego is the divot of its right eye, the other sailed past its human host a few steps behind it. 

As much as she hated to hurt an innocent person, disabling them before the Ego fully separated would weaken in. The Ego screeched like grinding metal gears as its host toppled over, screaming and clutching his side. She’d made sure the blade had only grazed him.

Enraged, it swung its head from side to side, trying to find the source of the attack. Her first kunai dislodged from its face and flung to the side. It found her and roared. 

The first wave of Hella’s spell completed and the people in the immediate vicinity vanished, pushed back into the human realm. 

“Finally,” she growled. Hecate returned the remaining kunai to her soul and brought forth Abandon, her two handed scythe. The weight of her weapon settled into her hands like a ship reaching safe harbor. She roared back and charged before it could regain its balance. 

It dodged her first attempt at a leg sweep, jumping up and back. But the door on his neck hindered its movements enough to ruin the landing. It windmilled its arms, struggling to maintain balance. Hecate slid between its legs and whirled her blade behind her, using the momentum to pull her to her feet. Underworld steel bit into the thin skin between its shoulder blades. A spray of black oil-like blood spattered Hecate as she prepared her follow up attack. 

She saw her target: a cast iron bench to her left. Using it as a launch, Hecate screamed with rage as she brought Abandon into the Ego’s head, tip curving inwards towards it forehead. 

It wailed and dropped to the ground. Now facing it, Hecate finished it off with a final swing of her weapon. It’s head fell several feet away, spewing blood as it rolled. One down. At lest six more to go. She took a split second to evaluate her condition. No injuries and magical stamina strong. But the house, even devoid of humans, was too cramped for Abandon. She returned it and called her twin sickles, Sacrifice and Pursuit. As a pair, they were known as the Wild Hunt. She’d commissioned all three blades from Hephaestus. A gift from her father, in exchange for coming out as a royal princess in court. That was a dark time, full of too many parties and dresses.

“The next wave is gone,” Hella shouted across the parking lot. Mormo and Coyote stood behind her. Thoth was nowhere to be seen. 

“Thanks,” Hecate grunted as she stepped up to the ragged hole left by the Ego. Screams echoed from inside. Because it was only a reflection of the human world, the shadow dimension often showed unfortunate visitors a twisted version of reality. From where she stood, it seemed the townhouse had turned into a winding made of hallways with steel doors and huge padlocks, like a parody of an archaic insane asylum. 

An immature Ego burst out from a room a few doors down. The scent of human blood wafted out from the room it had recently vacated. They had likely been trapped in close proximity to the host when it emerged, unable to flee. In the corner of her eye, she noticed an arm torn from its socket, flesh frayed and ragged, sticking out of the doorway. It oozed blood onto the stained concrete floor and trickled into a rusted drain in the hall.

She hefted Pursuit and charged, holding it high and keeping Sacrifice low. She executed her one of her signature moves: a scissoring attack that sliced small and weak foes into three pieces. This Ego was no exception and fell to the floor in gory chunks. Five left.

Nothing inside the room still moved. Three humans, dead, one torn limb from limb. Her heart beat faster. This kind of senseless carnage was rare, even for Egos. That meant that even if the Duke couldn’t fight, he was whipping those who could into a frenzy, causing catastrophic collateral damage. 

She had to find Mike and Lizi. The young healer couldn’t hope to go up against Egos under the influence of a Duke. The only member of Entropy’s army more powerful were the Kings, and they were second only to Entropy herself. Dukes specialize troop management, while Kings displayed raw fighting power. Hecate was, in essence, a King, while Hella was a Duke, in that she controlled and manipulated the world and its inhabitants with magic. She was terrible in hand to hand combat, but one had to _get_ to her first. In their sparring matches, Hecate won barely over half the time, mostly out of luck.

Someone further down the hall screamed. Hecate burst from the room and sprinted towards the sound. The passage opened up and six humans covered in the corner of an alcove as two Egos towered over them. One ego held an arm, torn off at the shoulder, of a woman who lay on the floor, bleeding out. 

The Egos turned when as she skidded to a halt and crouched into a combat stance. These were mature and the one brandished the human’s arm like a club. Hecate resisted the urge to vomit. 

She flipped Pursuit into the air. One of the Egos, who apparently had strength but not intelligence on their side, watched the glittering her ambrosia steel ore glitter like opals in the dim light. Sacrifice flashed as Hecate dropped low to the ground and kicked off, hurtling towards the Ego’s spindly legs. 

It’s partner flung out one arm, long enough to bat Hecate aside before her blade connected. She recovered, sliding back on the stained tile floor, arms flung out for balance. Pursuit flashed out of existence before it hit the ground and reappeared in her hand. 

“I’m not fighting any old Ego, am I?” She sneered as she addressed the monster. 

“Good eye, princess. I figured my soldiers needed some help.” Though it had no mouth, the words echoed from the gaping maw in its face, tinny as if spoken through a long tube. 

“A Duke who can possess directly. How rare,” she quipped, circling the possessed Ego, looking for an opening. The other one, with the arm, fell back. 

“Why thank you. I always appreciate it when someone recognizes my skills. Now, let’s see if the beast of the underworld lives up to her infamy.” The duke charged, using its long arms to swing its lower body and legs forward like a gorilla. One clawed foot bent backward and arced towards her. 

Air sung above her head as she tucked and rolled away, coming up into a standing position again. When the thing had attacked, she’d noticed it favored one foot ever so slightly. An injury or birth defect, it didn’t matter. 

Hecate charged and feinted, angling Pursuit down to clip its angle. Her blade connected, pushing back for a split second before breaking through the tough hide and into soft muscle. It lodged in the bone and she yanked it back before the Ego’s flailing tore her weapon from her hands. 

It’s bad leg buckled and the Ego supported itself with both arms, holding both legs limp. 

“Very good princess. But too late.” The duke sniggered just as a human screamed. 

One of the humans in the corner dangled from the other Ego. It wrapped long, spindly fingers around her left leg and _pulled._ With a wet pop, the leg disconnected from its owner. The Ego threw the leg down and moved its hand to the other limb. 

“No!” Hecate screamed. This is why she hated humans. So weak. So innocent. Always caught in the crossfire of an eternal war. 

Abandoning caution, she barreled past the duke and towards the Ego. The Wild Hunt flung above her head, Hecate screamed and brought both down in a vicious chop. Pursuit lodged in its skull and Sacrifice sliced through the arm holding the human. Woman and arm thudded to the ground. Her companions dragged her back towards them as she wept and cried out hoarsely. 

In moment Hecate took to assess the human’s condition, the duke struck. White hot pain lanced across her back as two serrated claws tore through her flesh. She grunted and back stepped. 

“Goodness, Princess. You like those humans more than I thought. How unfortunate for you.” The duke taunted. 

“Pretty confident for someone who just lost half their troops,” she retorted as the Ego toppled to the ground.

“Fair enough,” though he didn’t sound all that concerned. She felt his control slip.

Unwilling to squander her opportunity, Hecate rushed towards the duke as his control on the Ego weakened to assess his now dead troop. 

Her wound’s burning already diminished to a weak sting as Hecate willed her pain away and focused entirely on the finishing blow. As she neared the Ego, she moved into a slide and slipped between its legs, twisting around and dragging both blade through the crotch and abdomen. The Ego’s blood showered her as she passed under it. 

It fell and she felt the Duke’s presence vanish. 

Hecate turned to victims. The two maimed humans had passed out and the other four shivered and cried. They looked at her with fear. 

“Help is coming.” She muttered and moved on. They were just as terrified of her fighting and devil appearance as the actual enemy. Sticking around would make it worse. 

Three left.

She felt energy concentrated at the end of the hall and off she went. With his vanguard gone, she could pinpoint his location and, she fervently hoped, Mike and Lizi too. 

The rusted metal door fell from its hinges as she exploded into the room. It looked like a mess hall, with broken tables strewn around and a kitchen in the back behind a long counter. In the center of the room, Lizi curled over three humans. Mike and two Hecate didn’t recognize. Lizi’s protective barrier shimmered, cracks snaking over it as three egos pummeled it with massive fists. 

Two were standard adult egos {{capitalization change lol}} but the third was a super ego.

Some egos born from particularly strong emotions or personalities grew into something an order of magnitude stronger than any foot soldier. Hecate steeled herself. She didn’t bother to further assess Lizi and the others; she had faith in the devil’s protective spells. Instead, Hecate screamed in rage and frustration as she leapt up and towards the leftmost adult ego. 

The super ego couldn’t react in time and she sliced into the other ego’s leg. It fell to the ground, lopsided. She couldn’t see the duke, which worried her. He may not be strong enough to face her head on, but even a weakling could turn the tide of battle with a strategic hit. 

The second ego didn’t give her time to contemplate, instead pushing past its commander and Lizi’s spell, body coiled. It lashed out with both arms in a hugging motion, trying to constrict her. Hecate jumped up and out of the way. Suddenly, something grabbed her from behind. The super ego! It had used the distraction to reposition, calculating her movements and landing spot. 

Arms stronger than their appearance betrayed clamped around her torso. Hecate felt a stab of pain as one of her ribs cracked and the two slashes on her lower back oozed blood. The uninjured ego stalked forward while the other fell back to nurse its wounds. 

Hecate called the Wild Hunt back her soul, leaving her arms free. She hooked her right leg around and behind the super ego’s knee, pulling it to one side. Once it off balance, she heaved and threw it over her shoulder. It skidded across the floor and hit the wall. 

“Goodness! I knew you were strong but I’ll admit I didn’t expect that!” A low, male voice cut through the air heavy with battle. Hecate backed up a step and wiped sweat from her brow. 

On the far corner of the room, tucked into an alcove, the duke leaned up against the wall. He wore a loose black sleeveless tunic and loose trousers. Every inch of his skin were covered in off-white bandages, save for the black hair spilling out from under his half mask. It covered his eyes and partially covered his nose. The mask had no holes for eyes, though she knew he could see clearly. 

“What, no puppet master act?” She asked. 

The duke shook his head with chagrin. “Alas, that technique leaves me quite open to attack. Hence, why I brought a powerful friend. He gestured to the super ego. “But it seemed I underestimated you.”

Sometimes fortune favored the bold. Killing the duke would stagger the egos. She charged and called her blades. His eyes widened in shock. The lamed ego barely had time to throw itself in front of its master. She left long slashes across its body and shoved it out of the way. Hecate tried to regain momentum. Too late. The duke had winked out of the alcove and into the opposite corner. Hecate spun on her heels, trying to track him, only to come face to face with the super ego. It loomed over her and made a grab for her right arm. She couldn’t slip away in time and it’s clawed hand curled around her wrist. 

Hecate grunted in pain as it tried to pull her arm from her socket. Using its arm as a pull up bar, she heaved her body up with one arm and kicked out with both feet, connecting with its broad chest. A dry cracking sound indicated she’d done some damage. She used the distraction to sever its arm at the shoulder, freeing her. In one fluid motion, she sent the Wild Hunt back and called Abandon out, already moving her arms in an attack. Abandon appeared in her hands and swung downwards, using the momentum she’d built up before summoning it. The blade bit into the shoulder of the super ego and she yanked it through its flesh with all her strength. Like a fetid blooming flower, the super ego’s torso split open and fell. She rolled her shoulder and struggled to breath deeply.

“Goodness!” The duke exclaimed a second time. “I suppose its time to call the backup.”

“Wha—“ Hecate gasped, searching wildly for another super ego. Instead, she found the two adults advancing on the duke. 

He looked around the side of one ego. “It takes a lot out of me to mature them like this. We have that lovely woman to thank for the first one.” He gestured to a human under Lizi’s bubble. “But it can’t be helped. It’s an honor to see a duke execute such a powerful spell. Be honored, princess.”

“To hell with you,” she spat. 

He shrugged and raised both hands to ceiling, bringing them down in a chopping motion, one for each ego. 

The lamed one’s wounds healed instantly. It’s skin grew wrinkly and took on a metallic sheen. Claws lengthened to the size of her lower arm, curved inward with a wicked sparkle. As it turned towards her in heavy, lumbering moments, Hecate saw the hole in its face widen until it grew to the size of its face, the depth of its throat defying the physics of its body. A super ego was born. The second one followed suit. Two massive beasts stood tall and moved towards her as one.

The duke tried to hide his exhaustion as he sagged into the wall. Even with the super egos advancing on her, going after the duke was still her best strategy to win. Before they could fully track her movements, Hecate tried to push between them towards the duke. He may be able to fully control them with her present, but they still listened to his orders. He jerked his head and the healed ego pivoted and swung one arm out like a windmill to smack her in the chest. She went down with a thud. The other loomed over her and stretched one clawed hand towards her chest, intent on cutting out her heart. 

“Too slow,” she grunted. Heedless of the toll the magic took on her body and mind, Hecate swapped weapons again and slammed the butt of Pursuit’s hilt {{is this the right word?}} into its forehead. It reeled and she scuttled out from under it. She had to kill at least one to have any hope of getting to the duke. 

An idea occurred to her. Hecate reached down and tore her sash from her belt. The slinky red silk felt cool and damp in her hands. The duke could only aid his troops if he could see them. Using a small burst of magic to help the fabric sail farther, Hecate threw the cloth at the duke’s face. Her ploy worked. He was a strategist, not a warrior, so the sudden movement caused him to instinctively threw his arms up. 

Without a clear line of sight to her, Hecate charged the formerly wounded super ego, hoping it still bore some weakness from being recently healed. She had precious fractions of a second before the duke regained control. Her hunch proved correct. The places she’d cut earlier were shiny and puckered like scars. When she leapt forward and slashed down, her blades bit into the healed wounds easily. With the wounds reopened, it stumbled and clutched at its chest. She took that opening to drive Sacrifice into its mouth like an ice climber with their pick. With a scream, she pulled the blade down and split its torso from jaw to abdomen. 

By now, the duke had thrown the cloth aside. His body was stiff, eyes glittering with rage. With only one ego left, he could potentially channel more power into it, but would lack the strategic advantages of outnumbering her. 

“Very good, princess.” He said through thinned lips. “But, I think I know your weakness.”

Lizi screamed. The barrier she’d been maintaing cracked like old glass, then shattered into jagged pieces. The revenants of her spell exploded into glowing dust before hitting the floor. Lizi’s dilated pupils struggled to focus. The duke had just banished her spell in one go. Hecate doubted he had the power to do much else now. But he didn’t need power for what came next. 

The last ego reached its long arm across the room and plucked someone from the pile of humans. 

Bile rose in her throat as Hecate saw who struggled in the massive beast’s grip. Mike. 

The ego squeezed and Mike coughed. A fine spray of blood spattered across the grey skin of his captor. 

“Mike!” Hecate screamed, her voice harsh and furious. 

“H— Hecate?” He sputtered, blinking rapidly. Lizi’s barrier must have blocked sight and sound for him to only notice her now. 

“So, I picked the right one after all!” The duke crowed, exhaustion making him petty. “I wonder, can you kill my soldier before he turns your beloved human into jelly?”

In response, the ego’s hand shifted and Mike screamed. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Lizi sprawled on the floor in a daze, unable to heal nor fight. 

A single human’s life, however precious, couldn’t compare to the strategic advantage of killing one of Entropy’s dukes. She should call his bluff and charge while his bodyguard was preoccupied. Without any magic left, she’d cut the duke to ribbons in seconds. 

She should. 

She…

Clarity blossomed in her heart. She could no more ignore her bond mate’s pain than she could take her own life. Perhaps the duke knew this or perhaps he was just picking the human she recognized the most. It didn’t matter. Sacrificing Mike wasn’t an option. Not because he was her bonding partner and the key to her sanity, but because he made her feel safe and calm. Because she valued his opinion and desperately wanted him to approve of her. It hurt when he brushed her off and filled her soul with burning joy when he recognized her efforts. She was a black hole of violence and he was a shining star of purity and Hecate knew which of two of them deserved to live. Sacrificing herself to save him wasn’t really a sacrifice at all. It was gift she gave gladly. 

Hecate had spent her entire life up to that moment learning how to restrain her cursed blood. She’d learned to tap into mere fractions of its power and reject anything that would tip her out of control. The more she relied on her darkness, the faster she would lose her mind, so she resisted, no matter how alluring the siren song of its power. 

None of that mattered now. The only way to guarantee Mike’s safety was to give herself to madness. 

The duke’s eyes narrowed. “Shit,” he swore under his breath. Just when she thought his power was spent, a crackling surge of energy made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. “Help me, mistress!” His voice echoed, as if they stood in a vast cave. 

From the back of the cave, a female voice chuckled, low and callous. “What’s wrong, my duke? Is one little princess too much for you?”

Hecate tried to take advantage of his distraction, only to find she couldn’t move. A quiet version of the echoing voice sounded in her ear like a whisper. “Oh, no, dear. Just stay still a moment. I need to discuss the details of the contract with my sweet duke.”

She realized the duke and the unseen source of the voice were discussing something in a language she couldn’t recognize. He looked pained at first until his expression morphed into a smug grin. He bowed to the back of the cave and when Hecate blinked, she noticed two things. 

First. They were in a actual cave now. She couldn’t see any kind of exit, simply a vast, empty room that went on forever. 

Second. It was filled with a little under a hundred egos of varying maturity levels. The duke stood on a large boulder in the middle of the swarm, arms crossed, mouth stretched in a mocking smile. A stray end of a bandage whipped wind that howled down the length of the cave. It stung her open wounds and eyes. Standing next to him was the ego that held a now unconscious Mike. The bleeding from his mouth had stopped but his skin was the color of ash. Hecate resisted the twitches in her body, begging her to rush forward and save him. 

“My queen granted me additional troops, as you can see.” The duke gestured to the egos. “You see, I didn’t expect you to release control of your blood, so we must improvise.”

The egos roared and shambled forward, gaining speed as they moved. 

Hecate took one last look at Mike. Oh, how she wished he’d open his eyes for her. She longed to see the rich blue of his irises sparkling in the bioluminescence of the cave’s moss covered walls. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Sorry to her parents, family, and friends for betraying them and ending her life in such a painful way. Hecate knew Mormo and Lizi would ensure Mike lived the rest of his life in comfort and that was enough. Perhaps, one day, they would even forgive her for what she was about to do. 

  


  


***

Pain lanced through his chest as Mike regained consciousness. The monster still carried him in one hand, though they weren’t in the dingy tile and metal room anymore. He hung above a crowd of egos. His captor and the leader stood on a boulder watching a figure at the far end of the cave, her body relaxed, blades shimmering. 

“He— Hecate…” Mike groaned and spat out a gob of blood and spit. 

The man turned to him. “Ah, so you’re awake. I think she’ll like that. In fact, I know she will. Watch.”

“Watch wha—“ He never finished his sentence. 

Once before, Mike had seen Hecate in her devil’s clothes. She wore something similar now. Tight black leather pants, flat sandals, and a full corset with nothing underneath. Purple sparks made her inky hair flutter and dance. Her two sickles flashed and glowed from within, overpowering the greenish light from the moss with a vibrant purple. The man flinched and bared his but stood his ground. 

A low, maniacal chuckle filtered through air thick with the shuffling and grumbling of egos. Hecate took a single step forward. Mike tried to swallow his gasp. Her silver eyes glowed and her mouth twisted in a parody of a smile. Sharp white teeth peeked through her parted lips. The crackling lightning around intensified until she wore it like armor. Hecate took another menacing step forward. 

“Come on, old man, get on with it,” she jeered. Her normally smooth voice was rough with pain, rage, and insanity and her dilated pupils all but swallowed up her irises. 

Her opponent gritted his teeth and screamed. “Kill her!”

The herd of egos below roared and surged forward with renewed energy. Hecate threw her head back and laughed, before launching herself into the air like a gymnast. Sickles flashed and two of the smaller egos fell, now missing their heads. She cackled again and slammed her heel into the chest of the nearest corpse, grinding her heel until a dry crack rang through the cave and her booted foot sank a few inches into the ego’s chest. 

Another three egos closed the fight circle again, larger than the last. With a scream, her two small weapons vanished just like they had that day in the mall. This time a massive scythe took their place. Judging by her height, the handle was ten feet. She held it like it a twig, bouncing on her heels as she assessed the new opponents. Her eyes flashed with excitement and pleasure. 

All three egos charged at once from all sides, their arms outstretched, bodies bent like football players. Hecate reached out and grasped the wrist of the smallest of the three. She crouched and lifted it over her and kicked. It’s body snapped as her bloody boots propelled it up into the air and back into the crowd. Another ego made a grab for her outstretched leg and latched on. It yanked, pulling Hecate up by her foot. Blood dripped down her smiling face. With just a single arm, Hecate pulled her scythe up, slicing the beast from its left hip to right shoulder. As it fell, it squeezed her ankle hard enough for its claws to prick her skin. Upright once again, Hecate licked the trickle of red by the corner of her mouth and smiled wider. 

“I thought I told you to stop playing around,” she shouted, before leaping up and angling her body and weapon downwards to slice through the nearest ego. It split open and two more took its place. 

Mike lost track of her movements. Hecate was a screaming whirl of blood and blade. She slowed down enough for him to see only when she brutally mangled the occasional dead body. She ripped one ego’s foot off at the ankle and she giggled as she did it. 

“It’s a pity you never bonded with her. Too late now,” the man commented. 

Mike turned towards him, glad for an excuse to take his eyes off the slaughter below. “Bonding?”

Even though his eyes were hidden behind a mask, the man’s surprised was obvious. “They never told you? You don’t understand what’s happening right now, do you?”

“I mean… She’s fighting and she’s not herself. Tell me what’s going on!” Something heavy and painful started to grow in the pit of his stomach. An instinctive reaction to something terrible. 

“She’s dying, you fool.”

***

Hecate let the madness take her. It freed her from inhibition. It encouraged her cruelty. The princess of hell waded into the small army of egos, savoring the taste of their blood as it mixed with hers. For each dozen she took down, they inflicted a wound, until her skin was so wet the air in the cavern chilled her. Their pain became hers and their screams became her fight song. 

Nirvana. That’s what this was. Why hadn’t she done this sooner? Tearing herself apart in pursuit of death was who she was, after all. Something reminded her this wasn’t just killing for the sake of it, but that same meek voice couldn’t remember what that thing was. 

At last, she’d cleared her way to the last defensive line that circled the boulder on which the duke stood. Next to him crouched a super ego, a human in its hand. 

Mike! The reason she was here, the reason she’d lost control, was hanging limply in the super ego’s hand, blood drying on his face. 

“Why haven’t you killed him?” She demanded. The duke had had more than enough time to do so when she was busy losing her mind. 

“If I’m to die, I’d rather a swift death on the battlefield, not the torture I’m sure you’d bestow to one who murdered your bonding partner. You must know we are no match for you.”

“If you know that,” she sneered, “then let him go and stand down.”

“But if I did that, you’d never fall for my trap!” The duke laughed and leapt up to hover in the air. A red crystal the size and shape of an American football tinkled as it wobbled. 

A bomb! He planned to obliterate everything in the area, knowing the only chance was to overpower her with a direct spike of damage. 

“Mike!” She screamed but he didn’t stir. 

Milliseconds turned to hours as the magical weapon pulsed and charged, preparing for detonation. Well, there was nothing else for it, was there?

Hecate kick off and leapt onto the boulder, throwing herself onto the bomb, curling around it. 

It exploded. 

The thing was, if she’d been just another cursed blood, this would have reduced her to a pile of bone and guts. But she was _Hecate_. The middle princess of Hell. The beast of the royal family. The most powerful cursed blood ever born. She called on the rage and power within her. It emanated from her body like thin, wiggling shadow hands, wrapping themselves around the crystal and squeezed. 

It popped, fizzed, and dispersed into a fine mist that burned her flesh like hellfire. Hecate struggled to channel the power properly. For a moment, the fire and the wandering hands almost consumed her, trying to eat her up from outside and in. 

“No!” She screeched as she regained control. “Kill,” she ordered next. The creeping hands, sparkling with powerful magic, shot out in every direction. Some grasped the remaining egos’ hands and feet, while others ripped and plucked at ego flesh, picking them apart. Egos, normally disinclined to express pain, howled. 

In a matter of moments, the bloody pulp of their bodies splattered onto the cave floor. The duke hovered high above, eyes wide in panic. “Incredible,” he said breathlessly. 

Before he could continue, though, the world popped and tore and suddenly they were all standing in the parking lot near where Thoth had opened the portal. Mike and the decimated body of the ego sprawled on top of a dumpster. The duke remained floating, looking around wildly. 

“You’re quite good,” someone said conversationally. Hecate knew that voice. Thoth was nearby and had just dispelled the duke’s extensive illusions. “Unfortunately for you, I’m better.”

Hecate tried to focus through the red haze of the blood in her eyes. Thoth reached out her arm and closed her fist. The duke screamed and vanished. But rather than look please, the concern on Thoth’s face deepened. 

“Where did he go?” She mumbled.

“I don’t know, I’ll— Sister!” Hella’s answer was cut short when she saw her sister’s state. 

The tendrils of power that had absorbed the bomb and killed the egos had retracted, branding her skin with the excess power. They scratched and clawed at her flesh, begging for more violence. There were three living beings right here, weren’t there? Why wasn’t she killing them?

“Ugh,” Hecate cried out as her strength failed. She crumpled to the ground, head swimming. 

“Mike, no!” Her sister shouted. Booted feet clicked on the asphalt as Hella hurried to somewhere nearby. 

“You have to help her!” Mike said through heavy breaths. 

“There’s… nothing we can do.”

“Bullshit! Where’s Lizi! Thoth, _do_ something!” 

She felt the air around her change as he drew closer. At first, she worried the tendrils would cut him. Instead, they parted for him, allowing him close all while pushing Hella farther away. Her sister warred with her own sense of self preservation and her desire to stay close. 

With effort, she pushed her eyes open. He leaned over her, face smeared with blood, eyes bloodshot, lips cracked and dry. 

“You’re alive,” she sighed happily. 

“What did you do?” He asked between sobs. 

Hecate tried to shrug and winced instead. “What I had to do. To save you. I know it hurt a lot… sorry…” she trailed off, suddenly wrapped up in her memories of him being squeezed to death. She should have changed sooner.

“Whatever happened to me doesn’t matter right now! Lizi can fix you, can’t she? Where is she?” He scanned the parking lot, clumps of blonde hair flinging bloody sweat. 

“She can’t help me,” Hecate whispered. “It doesn’t matter. You are mine and I have completed my duty to protect you. This is as it should be.”

Mike looked angry then. His eyes went wide and he bared his teeth. “Are you serious? Don’t pull that martyr crap with me. What does does saving me do when you just die instead? These are only flesh wounds, right?” He gestured to the cuts on her body from the curse’s power as it had turned inward in retribution. As he looked, fresh blood oozed out and the cuts deepened. He fell on his backside and scuttled back. 

“Hella!” He screamed. “Why aren’t you helping.”

“You can’t see them?” Her sister asked with a quivering voice. 

“See what?”

“Never mind. I can’t come near her. The magic she used to kill the egos is out of control. You’re the only one they can’t hurt.”

He paused. “Because I’m supposed to bond with her?” The man’s words returned. 

Hella’s eyes popped open. “It’s not as simple as that. You can’t just wave your hand and bond with her! There are rituals and preparation. And bonding has to happen before the cataclysmic event, which had already passed. She’s over threshold. Besides, you don’t understand what it means to bond with someone!”

“Shut up. Shut up!” Mike tried to control his rage. Everyone was always trying to save him from himself by hiding or avoiding the truth. He wasn’t a weakling, so why did everyone treat him as if he were made of glass? “Can’t we try?”

Hecate reached out her hand blindly and found the soft skin of Mike’s cheek. He jumped in surprise. She gently turned his face towards her. “No. Hella is right. I never wanted this for you.” She chuckled and spit up some blood. “Why do you think I ran away? I’m no coward, unless it concerns you, it seems.” 

Mike’s tears fell even faster at her sad, lopsided smile. He put his hand over hers. She breathed a relieved sigh. He was so warm and very much alive. 

“So what happens now? You just die,” he asked mournfully. 

“The others will take care of you. You’ll never want for anything. Please, accept their kindness, for my sake. Yes?”

Mike sniffled and rubbed his nose with his free hand, trying not to knock hers out of the way. “Yeah. I’ll let them help, whatever they need to feel ok with this. I promise.”

“And…” she paused, unsure how to word the next part. “Do not let them take you away. Mormo knows what to do but the others may push or lie. Do not leave the human realm. When I die, the devil’s will have no use for you. My father may—“

A wave of energy dispelled in her body. Pain made her roll onto her side and double over. She vomited blood.

“Hecate!” Mike shouted. He pulled off his shirt and used it to wipe a trail of bile from the corner of her lips. “Stop talking. Maybe if you can hold on, Lizi and Thoth will think of something.”

Ignoring slice of magic, Hecate shifted onto her back again. With both hands, she cupped his face and drank in the sight of his eyes, dull with pain and grief, but still blue and soothing like she remembered them. 

“Thank you, Mike,” she struggled not to slur her words. “Thank you for seeing me as I was.”

Mike just nodded, leaning into her right hand, like a cat asking for attention. His tears spilled freely now, rolling down his cheeks and onto her bloody face. He couldn’t seem to find the words, so he pressed his hand to her chest and watched her eyes flutter closed. 

With a final, ragged breath, Hecate, middle princess of Hell, died. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends the first part of Devil's Rondo! I have two chapters written for part two, Book of Sacrifice, but...
> 
> Feeling inspired by ViciouslyWitty's fantastic Tanglewood, I'll be noodling around in another story for a bit. This one is more focused, with two romantic pairings and less side tracking, hah! I'll update here with link once something gets posted. 
> 
> also, here's Tanglewood:  
> (https://archiveofourown.org/works/5772205?view_full_work=true)


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